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5.3 Conservation of Momentum

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Center of Mass

Before Unit 5: Momentum, we have dealt with the center of mass of a system as a stationary thing which does not change if there is no external force in the system. However, the center of mass in a system can have a velocity, known as the velocity of the center of mass. This value also stays constant in a system unless there is a non-zero net external force.

v_{cm}= \frac{\sum\limits_{i} p_i}{m_{tot}}

${v_{cm}}$ represents the velocity of the center of mass in a system
${p_i}$ is the momentum of each individual object in the system
${m_{tot}}$ is the total mass of the system

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