Question

In 3-5 sentences, explain what momentum is and how it is calculated. Why is momentum considered a vector quantity?

Answer 1

Momentum is a measure of how much motion an object has, defined as the product of its mass and velocity. It is calculated by p = m v, where m is mass (kg) and v is velocity (m/s), giving momentum in kg·m/s. Momentum is considered a vector quantity because velocity is a vector, and multiplying the scalar mass by the velocity yields a vector that points in the same direction as the velocity. Its vector nature matters in interactions (e.g., collisions) because momentum must be conserved in each component direction.