Enter the x-component of velocity, the y-component of velocity, and the total mass into the calculator to determine the Magnitude of Momentum. 

Magnitude of Momentum Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Magnitude of Momentum.

p = SQRT( Vx^2 + Vy^2 ) * m

  • Where p is the Magnitude of Momentum (m/s*kg)
  • Vx is the x-component of velocity (m/s)
  • Vy is the y-component of velocity (m/s)
  • m is the total mass (kg)

What are the units for Magnitude of Momentum?

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

How to Calculate Magnitude of Momentum?

Example Problem:

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

First, determine the x-component of velocity. In this example, the x-component of velocity is determined to be 13 (m/s).

Next, determine the y-component of velocity. For this problem, the y-component of velocity is measured to be 14 (m/s).

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

Finally, calculate the Magnitude of Momentum using the formula above: 

p = SQRT( Vx^2 + Vy^2 ) * m

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

p = SQRT( 13^2 + 14^2 ) * 15 = 286.57 (m/s*kg)