Question #1ed59

1 Answer
Feb 27, 2017

Yes. Multiplying a vector by a scalar gives you the another vector with the same direction, and momentum is a vector multiplied by a scalar.

Explanation:

Yes.

Momentum is simply mass times velocity, or

#p = mv#

Velocity is a vector (involving direction or route, not considered just as a straight line), while mass is a scalar quantity (it does not matter what direction a mass is in).

A vector with direction multiplied by a scalar without direction will have the final direction simply of the vector, as the scalar does not affect the direction at all.

You could think of the algebraic analogy

#4 * 3x = 12x#,

where the quantity in front changes, but the actual direction, say it is #x#, stays the same. #4# and #3# are just numbers you multiply.

Therefore

#vec p = m vec v#