The product of mass and velocity — a vector measure of a body's motion.
Symbols
p
momentum
[kg·m/s]
m
mass
[kg]
v
velocity
[m/s]
Where it comes from
Momentum combines mass and velocity — a heavy truck and a light, fast bullet can have similar momentum. Changing the momentum requires a force acting over some time (impulse).
When to use it
Collisions and recoil; in an isolated system the total momentum is conserved.
Example
A body of mass 2 kg moves at a velocity of 5 m/s. Find its momentum.