Enter the magnitude of the velocity, the angle of the velocity, and the mass of the object into the calculator to determine the Linear Momentum. 

Linear Momentum Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Linear Momentum.

px = V*cos(a) * m
  • Where px is the Linear Momentum (m/s*kg)
  • V is the magnitude of the velocity (m/s)
  • a is the angle of the velocity (degrees)
  • m is the mass of the object (kg)

To calculate the linear momentum, multiply the magnitude of the velocity by the cosine of the angle, then multiply by the mass.

What are the units for Linear Momentum?

The most common units for Linear Momentum are m/s*kg.

How to Calculate Linear Momentum?

Example Problem:

The following example problem outlines the steps and information needed to calculate the Linear Momentum.

First, determine the magnitude of the velocity. In this example, the magnitude of the velocity is determined to be 50 (m/s).

Next, determine the angle of the velocity. For this problem, the angle of the velocity is measured to be 20 (degrees).

Next, determine the mass of the object. In this case, the mass of the object is found to be 15 (kg).

Finally, calculate the Linear Momentum using the formula above: 

px = V*sin(a) * m

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation with the imputed values gives: 

px = 50*cos(20deg) * 15 = 704.76 (m/s*kg)