Momentum
We’ve talked in some depth now about motion, specifically trying to relate what we know about motion back to kinetic energy. Recall our definition of kinetic energy:
Kinetic Energy -- the ability or capacity of a moving object to move another object.
And the key characteristics of kinetic energy, mass and velocity, which can be observed from the equation: 
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But, there’s more to the story. We’ve talked about moving objects causing other objects to move, but we really haven’t looked at those situations yet -- to do so we need to talk about collisions, and collisions are all about momentum.
Objectives
- Define and calculate the momentum of an object.
- Determine the impulse given to an object.
- Use impulse to solve a variety of problems.
- Interpret and use force vs. time graphs.
- Apply conservation of momentum to solve a variety of problems.
- Distinguish between elastic and inelastic collisions.
- Calculate the center of mass for a system of point particles.
Topics of Study
Video Tutorials
