Momentum
Momentum is the measurement of the effort it takes to get an object to move or stop. Which makes sense because there is so much energy that must be converted in order to stop an object moving at a high speed. Momentum can be calculated with the following equation, p=mv, where p stands for momentum, m stands for mass, and v stands for velocity. That being said, the more mass and/or velocity something has, the more momentum it has.
In this picture, the car obviously has more mass than Sanic, but Sanic has a larger velocity, so Sanic has more momentum.
Review Questions
1. If Sanic and the car were moving at the same velocity, which of the two would have the most momentum? Why?
The car has more momentum because it has the most mass.
2. If Sanic has a mass of 35kg and the car has a mass of 2000kg, traveling at 26 m/s (60 mph), what does Sanic's velocity have to be to have the same momentum as the car?
1485.71 m/s.
The car has more momentum because it has the most mass.
2. If Sanic has a mass of 35kg and the car has a mass of 2000kg, traveling at 26 m/s (60 mph), what does Sanic's velocity have to be to have the same momentum as the car?
1485.71 m/s.