momentum

[ moh-men-tuhm ]

noun

, plural mo·men·ta [moh-, men, -t, uh], mo·men·tums.

1. force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events:

   The car gained momentum going downhill. Her career lost momentum after two unsuccessful films.

2. Also called linear momentum. Mechanics. a quantity expressing the motion of a body or system, equal to the product of the mass of a body and its velocity, and for a system equal to the vector sum of the products of mass and velocity of each particle in the system.
3. Philosophy. moment ( def 7 ).

momentum

/ məʊˈmɛntəm /

noun

1. physics the product of a body's mass and its velocity p See also angular momentum
2. the impetus of a body resulting from its motion
3. driving power or strength

momentum

/ mō-mĕn′təm /

, Plural momenta

1. A vector quantity that expresses the relation of the velocity of a body, wave, field, or other physical system, to its energy. The direction of the momentum of a single object indicates the direction of its motion. Momentum is a conserved quantity (it remains constant unless acted upon by an outside force), and is related by Noether's theorem to translational invariance . In classical mechanics, momentum is defined as mass times velocity. The theory of Special Relativity uses the concept of relativistic mass . The momentum of photons, which are massless, is equal to their energy divided by the speed of light. In quantum mechanics, momentum more generally refers to a mathematical operator applied to the wave equation describing a physical system and corresponding to an observable ; solutions to the equation using this operator provide the vector quantity traditionally called momentum. In all of these applications, momentum is sometimes called linear momentum.
2. See also angular momentum

momentum

1. In physics , the property or tendency of a moving object to continue moving. For an object moving in a line , the momentum is the mass of the object multiplied by its velocity (linear momentum); thus, a slowly moving, very massive body and a rapidly moving, light body can have the same momentum. ( See Newton's laws of motion .)

Notes

Figuratively, momentum can refer to the tendency of a person or group to repeat recent success: “The Bears definitely have momentum after scoring those last two touchdowns.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of momentum¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin mōmentum; moment

Word History and Origins

Origin of momentum¹

C17: from Latin: movement; see moment

Example Sentences

Whether the follow-up movie can sustain this momentum is anyone’s guess.

From Salon

The final would prove to be a ground-breaking moment for the women's game, with the momentum propelled by a photographer capturing an image which transcended sport.

From BBC

With a few tweaks, the bounce of the ball and a bit of momentum from some wins, Allianz Stadium will be a tough place to go.

From BBC

The momentum has led some to sound the alarm about the deep pockets playing an increasingly pivotal role in American politics.

From Salon

It is swiftly gathering momentum, fueled by the extremism of the party set to soon control both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government as well as most of the federal court system.

From Salon

Related Words

• energy
• power
• strength