Momentum
Some may think of momentum as that motivated, “on a roll” feeling that follows a series of successes. In physics, momentum is how much motion something has. It’s similar to the colloquial meaning, in that an object’s physical momentum determines how much force is needed to stop a moving object that’s “on a roll.” Impulse measures how much momentum changes over time.
These concepts help engineers design airbags, which increase the impulse, or time required to stop the momentum, of a driver during a crash. This means that the driver feels a smaller force from the crash, as they experience the change in momentum over a longer period of time.
