Linear momentum and collisions

This course is a part of AP®︎ Physics 1, a 12-course Topic series from Khan Academy.

Momentum ties velocity and mass into one quantity. It might not be obvious why this is useful, but momentum has this cool property where the total amount of it never changes. This is called the conservation of momentum, and we can use it to analyze collisions and other interactions. Bam!

This course contains 4 segments:

Introduction to linear momentum and impulse

In this lesson, we'll learn about momentum and how it is transferred. Whether you're playing pool (or "billiards") or deciding whether you want to get tackled by the 150 kg person, these concepts are of key importance.

Elastic collisions and conservation of momentum

Categorizing the different types of collisions can be useful. In this lesson, we'll learn what it means for a collision to be elastic and what that tells us about the momentum and kinetic energy during the collision.

Inelastic collisions

Collisions can be elastic or inelastic. In this lesson, we'll learn what quantities are conserved and not conserved during inelastic collisions.

Center of mass and two-dimensional collisions

Learn about the center of mass and how to analyze momentum for collisions in two-dimensions.