Question

The total motion possessed by a body is called: ____.

• A. impulsive force
• B. mass
• C. weight
• D. momentum

Hint:

Think of momentum as "mass in motion." If an object is moving, it has momentum. To change that momentum, you must apply an Impulse (Force $\times$ Time).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Momentum can also be understood through its connection to impulse, the effect of a force acting over time.

The impulse-momentum theorem states that the change in a body's momentum equals the impulse applied to it, \( \Delta p = F \Delta t \). This means momentum is exactly the quantity that a force, acting for some duration, builds up or takes away.

A body with more momentum requires a proportionally larger force, or a longer application of force, to bring it to rest, think of how much harder it is to stop a fast-moving truck than a slow-moving bicycle, even though both are just moving. That difficulty in stopping is a direct measure of the total motion the body possesses.

Since it is built from both how much matter is moving, mass, and how fast it moves, velocity, and directly measures the effort needed to bring the body to rest, momentum is the quantity representing: \[ \boxed{\text{The total motion possessed by a body}} \]