What is momentum and how is it conserved in a closed system?

What is momentum and how is it conserved in a closed system?

• A. Momentum is the force of motion
• B. Momentum is mass times velocity; total momentum before equals total momentum after collisions in a closed system with no external forces
• C. Momentum is the energy of motion
• D. Momentum is velocity divided by mass

Answer: (B)

Momentum is mass times velocity, a measure of how much motion an object has and how hard it is to stop it. In a closed system with no external forces, the total momentum stays the same before and after any interaction. During collisions, internal forces between the objects exchange momentum, but the sum of all momenta remains constant, taking into account both magnitude and direction (vector nature). This means that even if one object slows down and another speeds up, their momenta add up to the same total as before the interaction. Momentum can be lost or gained in terms of energy, but the overall momentum is preserved when there are no external pushes or pulls.

Momentum is mass times velocity, a measure of how much motion an object has and how hard it is to stop it. In a closed system with no external forces, the total momentum stays the same before and after any interaction. During collisions, internal forces between the objects exchange momentum, but the sum of all momenta remains constant, taking into account both magnitude and direction (vector nature).

This means that even if one object slows down and another speeds up, their momenta add up to the same total as before the interaction. Momentum can be lost or gained in terms of energy, but the overall momentum is preserved when there are no external pushes or pulls.