This mini-course is designed to help you learn and master the physics topic of linear momentum.  You will learn about how to find linear momentum.  We will talk about the  impulse-momentum theorem.  Finally we will discuss the conservation of momentum.

An object explodes, sending two pieces in opposite directions. This conserves linear momentum.

When an object explodes, the momentum is conserved

Linear Momentum Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able…

  1. To write down the definition of momentum.
  2. To use the definition of momentum to determine the momentum, mass, and/or speed of an object when given sufficient information.
  3. To derive the impulse-momentum theorem from Newton’s Second Law.
  4. To derive the conservation of momentum equation for a system of two objects.
  5. To solve simple collision or explosion problems by utilizing the conservation of momentum.