# Momentum Momentum is simply: $p = mv = m\frac{dx}{dt}$ So for a specific object / set of objects, the momentum is just the mass (an intrinsic property of the system) times it's velocity (how its position is changing with respect to time). In the [Laplacian Paradigm](Laplacian%20Paradigm.md) it may at first seem odd that momentum is elevated to such a high status. It is one of the two key pieces of information we must specify in order to determine the evolution of a system (we must specify position and momentum). Why is that? Well it really comes down to the fact that we really just need to specify position and velocity. Since momentum is directly proportional to velocity (with an intrinsic property, mass, in front of it), we can swap it in easily. Momentum is truly best thought of as a system that is not undergoing and change in velocity. This can then be broken down into two main categories: 1. A system that has 0 velocity, such as a ball sitting on a table. 2. A system that has non zero *constant* velocity, such as a hockey pull sliding on a surface (with no air resistance or surface friction) The key about this is that it really means that there is no *net force present* on the system. If there was then by Newton's second law there would then be an acceleration present. --- Date: 20240527 Links to: [Physics](notes/Physics.md) Tags: References: * []()