Question

What is the conservation of linear momentum under what conditions can this concept be applied?

Answer 1

Dear student,

The linear momentum of a particle at an instant is defined as the product of its mass and velocity at that particular instant.

P=mv

Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum:

• Law of conservation of linear momentum is a extremely important consequence of Newton's third law of motion in combination with the second law of motion.
• According to law of conservation of momentum When two or more bodies acts upon each other their total momentum remains constant provided no external forces are acting
• So, Momentum is never created or destroyed.
• When this law is applied for a collision between two bodies, the total momentum of the colliding bodies before collision is equal to the total momentum after collision

m1u1+m2u2=m1v1+m2v2 ,is known as the law of conservation of momentum

Applications:

One of the applications of conservation of momentum is the launching of rockets. The rocket fuel burns are pushed the exhaust gases downwards, and due to this, the rocket gets pushed upwards. Motorboats also work on the same principle, it pushes the water backward, and gets pushed forwards in reaction to conserve momentum.

Regards