Question

How can momentum be increased?

Answer 1

Hint:In order to increase momentum of a body, we must focus on increasing the factors to which the momentum of the body is directly proportional. Also, we must focus on decreasing the factors to which the momentum of the body is inversely proportional. Often momentum is confused with kinetic energy and force because all these three quantities are directly affected by the velocity of the body.

Complete solution:
Momentum is defined as mass times velocity. It is expressed as:
$\vec{p}=m.\vec{v}$
Where,
$m=$mass of object
$\vec{v}=$ velocity of object.
The S.I. unit of momentum is $Kg.m{{s}^{-1}}$.
The momentum of a body can be increased by either increasing the mass of the body or the velocity of the body or both.
Force is change in momentum per unit time. Impulse is a force times change in time.
Hence, change in momentum is impulse as well.
If no external forces are acting on an object, then the change in momentum of the object is zero. This is governed by Newton’s laws. The only way there can be a combined change in momentum is if there is some kind of net force acting on the system.
The momentum of a system remains constant if there is no external force acting on the system. The changes caused by the internal forces of the system does not cause any change in the momentum and hence the initial momentum of the system remains equal to the final momentum of the system.

Note:
The concept of conservation of momentum of a system is mostly useful in problems including collision of various bodies of the system which causes a change in their respective velocities. Therefore, the velocity or other quantities can be calculated in such problems by using the conservation of momentum and the conservation of energy of the system.