Question

Which object has the greatest momentum...and why

1) a 12-kg mass moving at 1 m/sec
2) a 5-kg mass moving at 2 m/sec
3) a 9-kg mass moving at 3 m/sec
4) a 4-kg mass moving at 4 m/sec

Answer 1

The formula for momentum is p=mv where p is the momentum (kgms-1), m is the mass (kg) and v is the velocity (ms-1). So, to work out the momentum, we just multiply these numbers together and work out which is the largest.

1) 12kgms-1
2) 10kgms-1
3) 27kgms-1
4) 16kgms-1

Therefore the object with the greatest momentum is 3 - a 9kg mass moving at 3m/s