math lessons - Impulse

This article is about the physical quantity of impulse. For other meanings of the term "impulse" please see Impulse (disambiguation)

In classical mechanics, an impulse changes the momentum of an object, and has the same units and dimensions as momentum. The SI unit of impulse is the same as for Momentum, and is kilogram metres per second (kg m /s ). An impulse is calculated as the integral of force with respect to duration.

$\mathbf{I} = \int \mathbf{F}\, dt$

where

I is the impulse, measured in kilogram metres per second

F is the force, measured in newtons

t is the time duration, measured in seconds

Using the definition of force yields:

$\mathbf{I} = \int \frac{d\mathbf{p}}{dt}\, dt$

$\mathbf{I} = \int d\mathbf{p}$

$\mathbf{I} = \Delta \mathbf{p}$

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