Momentum and Impulse Calculator

This momentum and impulse calculator helps you work out two closely linked quantities in classical mechanics quickly and reliably. Linear momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity, written as p equals m times v, and it measures how much motion an object carries. Impulse is the change in momentum produced by a force acting over a period of time, written as impulse equals force times time, and by the impulse momentum theorem it equals the change in momentum. You enter the mass in kilograms, the velocity in metres per second, the applied force in newtons and the time in seconds, and the tool returns momentum in kilogram metres per second and impulse in newton seconds. The units of newton seconds and kilogram metres per second are equivalent, which is why a steady force over time can be compared directly with a change in momentum. Students, teachers and engineers use this calculator to check homework, design simple experiments and reason about collisions, rocket thrust and sports impacts. A few good habits make your results trustworthy. Always work in consistent SI units before you start, since mixing grams with kilograms or kilometres per hour with metres per second is the most common source of error. Remember that momentum is a vector, so direction matters when objects move in different directions and you may need to treat one direction as positive. Finally, check that your impulse and your change in momentum agree, because they should be equal for a single object, and any mismatch usually points to a unit slip or a sign mistake that is worth tracking down before you trust the answer.

Momentum p = m v. Impulse = F t = change in momentum.