6.06 Momentum

• Introduction
• Learn
• Try It
• Task

Introduction

You've probably heard the term "momentum" used before in different situations. You may have heard it in sports talk such as: "The team has a lot of momentum to carry them into the playoffs" or maybe in response to a political race: "The candidate gained a lot of momentum the last month."

While these uses of the term momentum are common and often mean "on the move" or "hard to stop," the term "momentum" is actually one that originates in a discussion of forces. But, what does "momentum" refer to in the world of forces and how does it fit with what we have been discussing this unit?

In this lesson and the one that follows, we will explore the concept of momentum and how it affects the motion of objects.

 

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to... Define momentum, system, conservation of momentum, and external force Use mathematical equations to explain momentum Enduring Understandings A force is a push or pull upon an object, and motion is the result of unbalanced forces acting on an object. Momentum is conserved within a system, and this can be demonstrated using diagrams and mathematical representations. The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Physical Science standards: 9.