Question

Does direction matter when measuring momentum?

Answer 1

Hint:The direction of an object is part of the momentum of the object. Momentum has both the direction and it is a measure of the magnitude travelling in that direction. Momentum is known as a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction.The momentum is classified into two types : Linear momentum and angular momentum.

Complete answer:
Generally, Linear momentum is a vector quantity and therefore it has a directional aspect to it. Here is an example to think about. Now consider Two cars with equal mass moving toward each other with the same speed have equal magnitudes of linear momentum. Whatever the car's velocity vectors are 180 degrees reversed which imply that the linear momentum of each has opposite directions.Usually, the Momentum is the product of mass $m$ and velocity $v$:
$p = mv$
where, $m$ is known as the object’s scalar mass, $v$ is known as the object’s vector velocity, $p$ is a vector in which the magnitude is mass times speed, and its direction is the same as the direction of its velocity.

We know, the linear momentum of an object is the product of the mass and velocity. It refers that the total momentum for the system where the system is defined as both cars only - is equal to$0{\text{ }}kgm/s.$ Momentum vectors cancel each other out for the system as a whole.Momentum is usually moved to another object from one object. Otherwise, it may be considered that the sum of the momentum of the two objects before the collision is equal to the sum of the momentum of the two objects after the collision, here a collision happens between two objects in an isolated system.

Note:Momentum is not always only dependent on the mass and speed of the target.In a particularly given direction, velocity is distance, so an object’s momentum, therefore, depends on the direction of motion.It refers that an object’s velocity will shift whether the object accelerates or slows down.