Whats is the different between kienetic energy and momentum

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the differences between kinetic energy and momentum, exploring their concepts rather than just their mathematical formulations. Participants seek to understand these concepts through examples and clarifications.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that energy is a scalar quantity while momentum is a vector, highlighting their different units.
  • One participant argues that mathematical concepts are superior due to their precision, suggesting that understanding the world through mathematics is essential.
  • There is a connection mentioned between the conservation laws of energy and momentum and the concepts of time and space isotropy.
  • Examples are provided to illustrate the differences: one participant describes the experience of catching a baseball to differentiate between momentum and energy, emphasizing how they affect the hand differently based on the object's speed and mass.
  • Participants question the nature of non-mathematical concepts, with examples like love and pleasure being suggested, alongside a discussion on the potential for these concepts to be mathematized.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the importance of mathematical versus non-mathematical concepts, and there is no consensus on the best way to understand kinetic energy and momentum beyond their mathematical definitions.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions involve the potential for concepts to be mathematized, indicating a limitation in the current understanding of non-mathematical concepts.

Arslan
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whats is the different between kienetic energy and momentum.with examples . i know the mathemetical formulaies..... the things that i want to get are the concepts.Thanks in advance.
 
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Energy is a scalar momentum is a vector. Energy and momentum have different units.
 
There aren't really any nom-math concepts: the words are just names for the mathematical concepts!
 
What you need to understand, Arslan, is that mathematical concepts are not just as good as other types of concepts, most often, they are much better due to improved precision.

Thus, you need to develop mathematical thinking, i.e, understand the world in the terms of maths.

There is nothing "behind" you have to grasp by means of the maths, it is the maths itself you have to grasp&embrace.
 
The energy and momentum conservation laws are connected to time and space isotropy.
 
inline said:
The energy and momentum conservation laws are connected to time and space isotropy.
And are "conservation law" and "isotropy" non-mathematical concepts? :confused:
 
arildno said:
And are "conservation law" and "isotropy" non-mathematical concepts? :confused:
Can you give me an example of non-mathematical concepts?
 
inline said:
Can you give me an example of non-mathematical concepts?

Love, pleasure and unicorns?
At least, those concepts are, at present, non-mathematized, but that, of course, do not deny their potential mathematizability. :smile:
 
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  • #10
If you want a kind of feel for momentum and energy, consider catching a baseball. Momentum is how much it makes your hand jump back when it hits, energy is how much it hurts when it hits. If you had a little marble, a baseball and a bowling ball hit your hand with the same momentum, they would make your hand jump back the same amount, but the marble would really hurt because it was traveling very fast and had more energy, the baseball less so, and the bowling ball hardly at all, because it would be moving slowly and have less energy.

Thats not the best example, because you might say the marble hurts because its smaller. But if you had a baseball filled with cotton, and one filled with lead, the cotton one would hurt more too, because it would really be traveling fast, while the lead one wouldn't hurt hardly at all, because it would be traveling so slowly. If the cotton ball weighed maybe an ounce and a baseball weights a half a pound, and the baseball hit your hand at 60 miles an hour, the cotton ball would have to hit your hand at almost 500 miles an hour to have the same momentum! That would hurt. If the lead ball weighed 5 pounds, it would only hit your hand at about 6 miles per hour, about as fast as a person walks.
 
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