How Are Impulse and Work Methods of Applying Force to a Body?

[RustyDoorknobs]

Is it correct that the two ways that force can be 'applied' are via an Impulse or Work? I know that force is defined as dp/dt, but how is force, mathematically, applied to a body? How is the dp/dt 'added in' to the behavior of the body, if that makes sense?

 

[A.T.]

How is the dp/dt 'added in' to the behavior of the body

The sum of all the dp/dt acting on the body tells you how the total p of the body changes over time.