What unit is used to express momentum?

Momentum is defined as the product of an object's mass and its velocity. The formula for momentum (p) is given by:

[ p = m \cdot v ]

where ( m ) is the mass in kilograms (kg) and ( v ) is the velocity in meters per second (m/s). To understand the unit of momentum, we can look at the units involved in the formula:

• The mass is measured in kilograms (kg).

• The velocity is measured in meters per second (m/s).

When you multiply these two quantities together, the result is:

[ \text{kg} \cdot \left( \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}} \right) = \text{kg} \cdot \text{m/s} ]

This means momentum is expressed in kilograms times meters per second, which can also be represented more compactly as kg·m/s.

Thus, the correct unit for momentum is indeed ( \text{kg} \cdot \text{m/s} ), confirming that this choice accurately represents the physical quantity of momentum in mechanics.