I. Key Terms and Phrases

linear momentum the product of the mass and the velocity of an object

impulse the product of force and the amount of time the force acts

collision an interaction in which forces are exerted for a finite period of time

conservation of linear momentum the principle that the total linear momentum of a system remains constant unless a nonzero external net force is applied

inelastic collision a collision in which kinetic energy is not conserved

elastic collision a collision in which kinetic energy is conserved

center of mass the average location of mass within a system

thrust the forward force exerted by the expelled mass in rocket exhaust

II. Important Equations

Name/Topic	Equation	Explanation
linear momentum	p = mv	The definition of linear momentum.
Newton's second law		The most general form of Newton's second law.
impulse	I = FavDt = Dp	The definition of impulse and its relationship to linear momentum.
center of mass		The x and y coordinates of the center of mass of a system.
thrust		The force exerted by rocket exhaust.

III. Know Your Units

Quantity	Dimension	SI Unit
linear momentum
impulse
thrust		N

IV. Additional Tools

Recording Calculator
This is a 'printing' scientific calculator. It allows you to check your calculations by reviewing your work.

Scientific Calculator
This is a standard scientific calculator.

Graphing Calculator
This is a simple graphing calculator, the JavaScript resource of the month for several months at Developer.com.

Physical Constants
This is a searchable database of physical constants.

Conversion Engine
This conversion factor tool gets almost 1000 hits a day and has been featured by Microsoft.

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