momentum
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.
Also called linear momentum .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.
Philosophy. moment (def. 7).
Origin of momentum
1Words that may be confused with momentum
- memento, momentum
Words Nearby momentum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use momentum in a sentence
“Investors have a view that the EV market in China has reached a turning point, with the momentum growing around Tesla,” says Bill Russo, founder and CEO of Automobility, a Shanghai-based investment advisory that focuses on mobility.
How Tesla led the way for Chinese rival Xpeng’s $1.5 billion IPO | eamonbarrett | August 28, 2020 | FortuneThe push for legalization gained momentum in New Jersey in 2011, when voters there passed a non-binding referendum in favor.
The Economics of Sports Gambling (Ep. 388 Rebroadcast) | Stephen J. Dubner | August 20, 2020 | FreakonomicsThe momentum is showing little sign of easing in the third quarter.
Haves and Have-Nots: Pandemic Recovery Explodes China’s Wealth Gap | Daniel Malloy | August 19, 2020 | OzyFor now, though, the market’s momentum remains on a gentle upward slope.
S&P 500 hits a new record, erasing last of pandemic losses | Verne Kopytoff | August 18, 2020 | FortuneMismatched vectors, like the z direction vector paired with the y momentum vector, form parallelograms with an area of zero.
How Physics Found a Geometric Structure for Math to Play With | Kevin Hartnett | July 29, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
In conversation, her ideas emerge at a roiling boil that often takes on a momentum of its own.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination | Mindy Farabee | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in 2014, numerous states passed common-sense public safety laws, showing that the momentum for gun safety is building.
Currency problems are procyclical, which is to say that they create their own momentum.
But after Rolling Stone's rape story debacle, how much momentum does the call to ban fraternities have left?
Doing three in a row got a momentum going and I want to keep that momentum going.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth | Alex Suskind | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe rose upon it, it was under him, he felt its lift and irresistible momentum; almost it bore him up the steps.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodThis most simple steam-engine combined in the greatest degree the two elements of expansion and momentum.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickThe principle of expansive working and momentum of moving parts was of necessity modified in its application to pump-work.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickIt was a kind of incredible performance, half on earth and half in the air: it rushed with such impetuous momentum.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodBut momentum was sufficient to carry Jeff Weedham's roadster out onto the road.
British Dictionary definitions for momentum
/ (məʊˈmɛntəm) /
physics the product of a body's mass and its velocity: Symbol: p See also angular momentum
the impetus of a body resulting from its motion
driving power or strength
Origin of momentum
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for momentum
[ mō-mĕn′təm ]
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. See also angular momentum impulse.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for momentum
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 for momentum
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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