Momentum: History & Newton's 2nd Law

In summary, the concept of momentum, which is the measure of a body's motion based on its mass and velocity, was defined by Newton in his second law of motion. He stated that force is the rate of change of momentum, and this idea was influenced by the earlier experimental observations of Galileo and others.
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manimaran1605
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A body with mass 'm' moves with velocity 'v' possesses momentum and the magnitude of momentum of the particle is given by product of its mass and its velocity
Who came up with this idea? On what observation leads to think him like this?
I know that Newton's 2nd law states that force is nothing but rate of change of momentum. So this idea (i.e, concept of momentum) dates back before Newton proposed his laws right, or am i wrong?
 
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  • #2
manimaran1605 said:
A body with mass 'm' moves with velocity 'v' possesses momentum and the magnitude of momentum of the particle is given by product of its mass and its velocity
It is the definition of momentum.
Newton called it quantity of motion
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_M...of_Natural_Philosophy_(1729)/Definitions#Def1
Definition II.
The Quantity of Motion is the measure of the same, arising from the velocity and quantity of matter conjuctly.
The motion of the whole is the Sum of the motions of all the parts; and therefore in a body double in quantity, with equal velocity, the motion is double; with twice the velocity, it is quadruple.

manimaran1605 said:
Who came up with this idea? On what observation leads to think him like this?
I know that Newton's 2nd law states that force is nothing but rate of change of momentum. So this idea (i.e, concept of momentum) dates back before Newton proposed his laws right, or am i wrong?

He formulated his second law as

The alteration of motion is ever proportional to the motive force impressed; and is made in the direction of the straight line in which that force is impressed.
If any force generates a motion, a double force will generate double the motion, a triple force triple the motion, whether that force be impressed altogether and at once, or gradually and successively. And this motion (being always directed the same way with the generating force), if the body moved before, is added to or subtracted from the former motion, according as they directly conspire with or are directly contrary to each other; or obliquely joined, when they are oblique, so as to produce a new motion compounded from the determination of both.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Mathematical_Principles_of_Natural_Philosophy_(1729 [Broken])

His Principles was based on the experimental observations of Galilei and others.

ehild
 
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1. What is the definition of momentum?

Momentum is a measure of an object's motion, specifically its tendency to keep moving in the same direction at the same speed.

2. Who first described the concept of momentum?

The concept of momentum was first described by Sir Isaac Newton in his famous work, Principia Mathematica, in 1687.

3. How is momentum related to Newton's Second Law of Motion?

Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration. This can be written as the equation F=ma. By rearranging this equation, we can see that momentum (p) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by velocity (v), or p=mv. Therefore, momentum is directly related to an object's mass and velocity, as described by Newton's Second Law.

4. How is momentum conserved in a closed system?

In a closed system, where no external forces are acting on the objects, momentum is conserved. This means that the total momentum of all the objects in the system before an interaction is equal to the total momentum after the interaction. This is known as the law of conservation of momentum.

5. How is momentum used in real-world applications?

The concept of momentum is used in many real-world applications, such as sports, transportation, and engineering. For example, the momentum of a moving vehicle is a crucial factor in determining the force of impact in a collision. In sports, momentum plays a role in calculating the trajectory of a ball or the movements of athletes. In engineering, momentum is used in designing structures and machines to ensure stability and efficiency.

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