Enter the total momentum (kg-m/s) and the mass (kg) into the calculator to determine the Kinetic Energy From Momentum. 

Kinetic Energy From Momentum Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Kinetic Energy From Momentum. 

KE = p^2 / (2*m)

Variables:

  • Where KE is the Kinetic Energy From Momentum (Joules)
  • p is the total momentum (kg-m/s) 
  • m is the mass (kg) 

To calculate the kinetic energy from momentum, square the momentum, then divide by 2 times the mass.

How to Calculate Kinetic Energy From Momentum?

The following two example problems outline the steps and information needed in order to calculate the Kinetic Energy From Momentum.

Example Problem #1:

  1. First, determine the total momentum (kg-m/s). In this example, the total momentum (kg-m/s) is measured to be 5.
  2. Next, determine the mass (kg). For this problem, the mass (kg) is calculated to be 3.
  3. Finally, calculate the Kinetic Energy From Momentum using the formula above: 

KE = p^2 / (2*m)

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

KE = 5^2 / (2*3) = 4.166 (Joules)

Example Problem #2: 

Using the same process as example problem 1, we first define the needed variables outlined by the formula. In this case, the values are provide as: 

total momentum (kg-m/s) = 9

mass (kg) = 5

Entering these values into the formula or calculator above gives us: 

KE = 9^2 / (2*5) = 8.1 (Joules)