S4 Linear Momentum

Motivation

The concept of the linear momentum of a system of particles is an extremely fruitful one in many areas of physics. In this section we develop the tools needed to describe the motion of such a system, and deduce that momentum must be conserved for an isolated system. This allows us to analyse elastic and inelastic collisions.

Objectives

By the end of this section you should:

Key Mathematics

Vectors in one and two dimensions