Momentum

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/momentum

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the fundamental law?Conservation of Momentum: Total momentum of an isolated system is constant
2. What is the related to force?Net force equals the rate of change of momentum (F = dp/dt)
3. Why is a moving ball harder to stop than a still one?A moving ball has momentum, so it keeps going until something pushes or pulls on it. A still ball has no momentum, so it can be stopped more easily.
4. How does momentum help explain car crashes or airbags?Engineers use the rule that total momentum stays the same to design safety features. Airbags and crumple zones spread the impact over time, making crashes less dangerous.

Vector Quantity: A quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction.
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: A fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties can be known simultaneously.