Sunday, 14 September 2014

Momentum

Momentum is equal to mass of an object multiplied by its velocity. It is a vector quantity.

P=mv

The principle of conservation of momentum states that the momentum of a system before a collision is equal to the momentum of a system after the collision. In other words:
m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

In other circumstances, the colliding objects may coalesce (join together, for example a train and a carriage). 
Conservation of momentum still applies, but in this manner:
m1u1 + m2u2 = (m1 + m2)v

There are two types of collisions:

  • Elastic collisions are collisions in which momentum as well as energy are conserved.
  • Inelastic collisions are collisions in which momentum is also conserved, but energy is dissipated in the form of heat, sound, light, friction, etc.

No comments:

Post a Comment