p — momentum (kg·m/s) m — mass (kg) v — velocity (m/s) vector · sign = direction
Momentum
0.0 kg·m/s
p = mv
m · mass5.0 kg
v · velocity+4.0 m/s
p = mv20.0 kg·m/s
KE = ½mv²40.0 J
|p| at 2m— kg·m/s
|p| at 2v— kg·m/s
p is a vector — direction matters
negative v → negative p (leftward)
p = 0 when v = 0, regardless of m
same p can come from many m, v pairs
p = mv: momentum is mass in motion. It is a vector — its sign tells you direction. A 5 kg object at 4 m/s has the same magnitude of momentum as a 20 kg object at 1 m/s.