Momentum Calculator
Calculate linear momentum from mass and velocity.
Assumptions used in this calculation
- Non-relativistic speeds: Uses the classical formula p = mv, valid at everyday speeds far below the speed of light.
About this calculator
Momentum is a deceptively simple formula, p = mv, but it's easy to conflate with kinetic energy or force when working through a physics problem, especially since all three depend on mass and velocity in related but distinct ways, and mixing them up leads to using the wrong conservation law for a collision or explosion problem. This calculator computes linear momentum directly from an object's mass in kilograms and velocity in metres per second, returning the result in kilogram-metres-per-second (kg·m/s). It's built for physics coursework involving collisions, explosions, or any scenario relying on the conservation of momentum, a law that holds in any closed system regardless of whether the collision is elastic or inelastic, unlike kinetic energy, which is only conserved in elastic collisions, making this a quick way to verify momentum values before applying them to a larger conservation-of-momentum problem.
Worked example
10kg object at 5 m/s
Result: 50 kg·m/s
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