What symbol represents momentum: P or ρ?

Thread starter masamune
Start date Apr 22, 2004
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Momentum

In summary, momentum is a physical quantity that represents the amount of motion an object has and is calculated by multiplying an object's mass by its velocity. The units of momentum are kilogram meters per second (kg m/s) in the International System of Units (SI). According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of a closed system remains constant. This means that the initial momentum of a system must be equal to the final momentum, even in collisions where objects may gain or lose momentum. Objects with larger masses tend to have a greater effect on the momentum of a system during a collision.

Apr 22, 2004

masamune

just a quick question. a friend and i were arguing over whether momentum is represented by the letter P or the greek letter rho. does anybody know which one is correct?

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Apr 22, 2004

Doc Al

Mentor

p for momentum

Momentum is commonly represented by the letter "p". I've never seen the greek letter rho used for momentum.

Apr 22, 2004

masamune

Thanks doc i thought so

1. What is momentum?

Momentum is a physical quantity that represents the amount of motion an object has. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (size) and direction.

2. How is momentum calculated?

Momentum is calculated by multiplying an object's mass by its velocity. The formula for momentum is p = mv, where p represents momentum, m represents mass, and v represents velocity.

3. What are the units of momentum?

The units of momentum are kilogram meters per second (kg m/s) in the International System of Units (SI). In other systems, momentum may be expressed in different units, such as gram centimeters per second (g cm/s) in the centimeter-gram-second (CGS) system.

4. How is momentum conserved?

According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of a closed system (a system with no external forces acting on it) remains constant. This means that the initial momentum of a system must be equal to the final momentum, even if there are interactions or collisions between objects within the system.

5. How does momentum affect collisions?

Momentum plays a crucial role in collisions between objects. In an isolated system, the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision. This means that if one object gains momentum, another object must lose an equal amount of momentum in order to conserve the total momentum of the system. This is why objects with larger masses tend to have a greater effect on the momentum of a system during a collision.