Impulse and Momentum: What's the Difference?

In summary, impulse and momentum are both measures of an object's motion, but they differ in that impulse is a force applied over time while momentum is the product of mass and velocity. They are related by Newton's Second Law of Motion and are conserved in a closed system. This concept has real-world applications in fields such as physics, engineering, and sports, such as predicting the behavior of moving objects and designing safer vehicles.
  • #1
Gurasees
50
1
Why are impulse and momentum treated as different quantites?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Gurasees said:
Why are impulse and momentum treated as different quantites?

Impulse is a change in momentum.

Why is a banking transaction and your account balance treated as different quantities?
 
  • Like
Likes Ibix
  • #3
Ok
PeroK said:
Impulse is a change in momentum.

Why is a banking transaction and your account balance treated as different quantities?
 

Related to Impulse and Momentum: What's the Difference?

1. What is the difference between impulse and momentum?

The main difference between impulse and momentum is that impulse is the change in momentum over a period of time, while momentum is the product of an object's mass and velocity. In simpler terms, impulse is a force applied to an object over a certain amount of time, while momentum is a measure of an object's motion.

2. How are impulse and momentum related?

Impulse and momentum are related by Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the force applied to an object is equal to the change in momentum over time. In other words, the impulse applied to an object will result in a change in its momentum.

3. Can you provide an example of impulse and momentum in action?

Sure, imagine a hockey player hitting a puck with their stick. The force and time duration of the player's stick hitting the puck is the impulse, and the resulting speed and direction of the puck is the momentum.

4. How is momentum conserved in a closed system?

Momentum is conserved in a closed system because there is no external force acting on the system. This means that the total momentum of the system remains constant, even if individual objects within the system experience changes in momentum.

5. How does the concept of impulse and momentum relate to real-world applications?

The concept of impulse and momentum is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of moving objects in various fields such as physics, engineering, and sports. For example, understanding the impulse and momentum of a car during a collision can help in designing safer vehicles. Additionally, the principles of impulse and momentum are also applied in rocket propulsion and impact analysis in structural engineering.

Similar threads

Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
1K
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
10
Views
963
Replies
12
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
6K
Replies
7
Views
856
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
3
Views
1K
Back
Top