Momentum Principle

This page discusses the Momentum Principle and examples of how it is used.

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The Main Idea

The Momentum Principle is the first fundamental principle of mechanics where it describes the relationship between the change in momentum of a system and the total amount of interaction (or total amount of force) with the surroundings. In terms of the system and surroundings, both can be set in any way necessary, where the system may just include a person or the entire Earth. The Momentum Principle can be used in nearly all situations, and it is always advised to start a problem by first writing out the Momentum Principle and then branching out (by rearranging or substituting values) in order to solve a problem.

A Mathematical Model

The Momentum Principle is defined as [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{system} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math] (or [math]\displaystyle{ {∆\vec{p} = \vec{F}_{net} * {∆t} }[/math] where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings.

A Computational Model

How do we visualize or predict using this topic. Consider embedding some vpython code here Teach hands-on with GlowScript

Examples

Be sure to show all steps in your solution and include diagrams whenever possible

Connectedness

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History

Although the Momentum Principle is credited as Newton’s second law of motion, it is difficult to just credit Isaac Newton (1643AD – 1727AD) for the development of the principle. As the Momentum Principle is the quantitative and more in-depth representation of Newton’s first law of motion (“An object tends to be at rest or moves in a straight line and a constant speed except to the extent that it interact with other objects”), the development of the first law also serves an important role in the history of the Momentum Principle. Aristotle (384BC – 322BC) initially proposed that objects had the natural tendency to be at rest and that a push (or a force) was absolutely needed to keep the object moving. His proposal was challenged by Galileo (1564AD – 1642AD), who introduced the idea that objects had the natural tendency to travel in a straight line at constant speed unless something (or a force) was interacting with something. Likewise, Descartes (1596AD – 1650AD) also contributed as he proposed three laws of nature in his “Principle of Philosophy,” which actually outlined the later published Newton’s first law of motion. After studying Descartes, Newton adopted Descartes’ principles as his first law of motion, and alongside the famous story of Newton sitting under an apple, Newton was able to create the Momentum Principle, or his second law of motion.

See also

As the Momentum Principle is the first of three fundamental principles of mechanics, the next possible topics to examine would be the other fundamental principles, the Energy Principle and the Angular Momentum Principle. Also, although the momentum principle is an extremely important concept that usually signals the start of a momentum related problem, the principle branches out into other momentum topics like Impulse and Iterative Prediction, which are used to solve other types of problems.

Further reading

Books, Articles or other print media on this topic

External links

Internet resources on this topic

References

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