Unit 7: Momentum, Impulse, & Collisions

In unit 7, we focused in on the momentum of a object or objects. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity, so  p = m v  ( p : average momentum, m : mass, v : average velocity). The unit it is measured in is kg (m / s). We learned that momentum is always conserved and the sum of momentum in is = to the sum of the momentum out. Force = change in momentum • time, this means that with more contact time, the force is also changed. For a cheer bonding last year, my team was in the pool and was doing some stunting, which is when we do tricks with lifting people up. After some shoulder sitting, we were able to make a 4 person sit. Using the heaviest and strongest mass at the bottom we built up our tower getting higher and lighter. The person with the most mass was at the bottom because inertia is directly proportional with mass. After learning about momentum, I found that the technique we used helped us because with a smaller mass, velocity is inversely proportional to it so the velocity would be bigger. It would help us to push people up on to higher shoulders.