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Now we move on to momentum. This is basically the product of an objects mass and velocity. In other words, mass times velocity. Momentum is usually indicated by the letter p , and mass by m . Thus, the following should be pretty self-explanatory:
p = m * v
This means that something with a small mass and high velocity could have a similar momentum to something with a large mass and low velocity. The aforementioned large truck moving at a mere 20 miles an hour could easily kill you. A bullet, on the other hand, has a relatively tiny mass but a much higher velocity, and its just as deadly .
Because velocity is a vector (direction and magnitude), that means momentum must also be a vector. The direction of the momentum vector is the same as the direction of the velocity vector. Thus, to fully describe momentum, you say something like this (where m/s is meters per second):
5 kg * 20 m/s at 23 degrees
Pretty complex, eh? Now you know why Ive waited until now to bring it up.
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