How is the momentum of an object calculated?

Momentum is a fundamental concept in physics that quantifies the motion of an object. It is directly related to both the mass of the object and its velocity, and is mathematically expressed as the product of these two quantities.

When calculating momentum, the formula used is:

[ \text{Momentum} (p) = m \cdot v ]

where ( p ) represents momentum, ( m ) denotes the mass of the object, and ( v ) is its velocity. This relationship shows that an increase in either the mass or the velocity of an object will result in a corresponding increase in momentum.

Understanding momentum in this way is critical, as it provides insight into how objects behave when they are in motion, particularly in collision scenarios. The principle of momentum conservation is also foundational in physics, indicating that in a closed system, the total momentum remains constant.

Other options presented do not accurately reflect how momentum is calculated, as they describe different physical concepts or relationships unrelated to the definition of momentum.