Momentum!!

Our new unit that we are concentrating on focuses on...

Momentum!

Momentum is abbreviated with the letter P (I know, m was already taken). Momentum is the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.The law of conservation of matter states that in a isolated system, momentum will be conserved. Impulse is the change in momentum. We also learned a couple of equations...

Momentum(in) = Momentum(out)

Momentum = mass(kg) x velocity(m/s)

(Therefore, momentum's units are kg(m/s))

Impulse = P(final) - P(initial)

(Therefore, impulse is the change in momentum)

Impulse = F (average force) x t (time)

One of the most important concepts that we learned about had to deal with the last equation: Impulse = (avg force)(time). This equation explains the relationship between impulse, force, and time. When impulse increases, force and time also increase (direct relationship). Force and time have an indirect relationship that means that as force increases, time decreases and vice versa.

My clumsy sister always drops her phone! She drops it outside, inside, off the table and anywhere imaginable. Today, she dropped her phone twice: once on the carpet in my living room, and once on the tile floor in the kitchen. When she dropped it on the carpet, it was fine and she picked it up. But when she dropped it on the tile floor, it cracked open and fell apart. This is a great example of the relationship of force and time! (But not so great for her phone) Remember: impulses are the same because the change in momentum are relatively the same. When the phone dropped on the hard tile floor, the time the phone had to reach velocity zero was very small, making the force a lot bigger. In comparison, the phone that dropped on the carpet had cushion, which helped the phone not to break due to the increase in contact time. An increase in contact time helps to deplete force!

Therefore, drop your phone on surfaces that allow for more contact time!!