A delivery van drives east along Main Street at 15 m/s. Its velocity points east.
Which way does its momentum point?
You have seen that velocity is a vector: it has a size and a direction.
Mass is not a vector. It is a plain number, with no direction.
Momentum is mass times velocity, so its direction comes from the velocity alone.
Momentum is a vector, and it points in the direction of the object's velocity.
The van's velocity points east, so the van's momentum points east.
A ball moving east carries momentum directed east. The moment the ball moves west instead, its momentum points west.
A cyclist rides west at 6 m/s. Which direction does the cyclist's momentum point?
Speed and mass stay plain numbers. Velocity and momentum carry a direction.
Which of the following quantities is a vector?
Bastian says: 'A train heading west carries momentum pointing west.' Is Bastian correct?
A swimmer crosses a pool heading north. Which way does her momentum point?
Momentum points in the direction of the velocity.
Her velocity points north.
Her momentum points north.
An apple falls straight down from a branch. Which way does its momentum point?
The apple's velocity points straight down.
Its momentum points straight down.
A rowboat drifts south across a pond. Which statement about its momentum is correct?
Which list contains only vectors?
A remote-control car turns from heading east to heading south without changing speed. What happens to its momentum?