Momentum and Impulse

Mechanics · 1687

Equation: p = mv, J = F Δt = Δp
Field: Mechanics
Symbols: p momentum, a vector · m mass · v velocity · J impulse: a force F acting for a time Δt, equal to the change in momentum it produces
Year: 1687

Significance

Newton wrote his second law as the rate of change of this 'quantity of motion', not as F = ma — and his form is the one that survives relativity. Impulse is why a crumple zone works: the same momentum change spread over a longer time is a smaller force. Specific impulse, the rocket engineer's figure of merit, is impulse per unit of propellant.

Timeline

Chicxulub

Machines

Solid-Propellant Rocket Motor Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engine

Requires

Vector Magnitude

Required By

Conservation of Momentum Angular Momentum Newton's Second Law Specific Impulse De Broglie Wavelength Tip Offset and Spin

Referenced by

equation

Angular Momentum Conservation of Momentum De Broglie Wavelength Newton's Second Law Specific Impulse Tip Offset and Spin Vector Magnitude

event

Chicxulub

machine

Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engine Solid-Propellant Rocket Motor

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From the Equations database in Notion, last edited 2026-08-18. This page is the row, rendered by the build; nothing on it is written by hand.