# Is momentum of a moving body a vector or a scalar quantity?

Is momentum of a moving body a vector or a scalar?

• Wikipedia tells you it's a vector. You'll have to be more specific about your question. Sep 26, 2014 at 15:00
• The answer should be found in your textbook... Sep 26, 2014 at 15:05

Momentum is a vector. For example, in 3D $\mathbf{p}=(p_x,p_y,p_z)$. The magnitude of the momentum vector is a scalar: $p=|\mathbf{p}|=\sqrt{p_x^2+p_y^2+p_z^2}$.

Momentum is a vector quantity. For a particle with mass, the momentum equals mass times velocity, and velocity is a vector quantity while mass is a scalar quantity. A scalar multiplied by a vector is a vector. A moving body would be a particle with a mass. If the body moves through space, relative to an observer, it will have a velocity, momentum, and kinetic energy. It's velocity and momentum are vector quantities. Those quantities possess both magnitude and direction in space.

p = m*v ........(1)

where

p = momentum

m = mass...(scalar quantity)

v = velocity...(vector quantity)

Any vector, multiplied by a scalar results into a vector product. ........(2)

In equation (1), mass is scalar, whereas velocity is a vector. From the definition(2), it is clear that momentum is the product of a scalar and a vector quantity. Hence momentum is also a vector quantity.

momentum of a body is a vector quantity as it has both magnitude and direction and mass is a scalar quantity and velocity is a vector quantity.so scalar multiplied by vector is also a vector

I think it is a vector quantity because momentum is the product of force with time ..... force is a vector quantity ao momentum is also a vector quantity

Ya the the linear momentum of a body is the vector quantity because linear momentum =mass*velocity , here you will be thinked that the mass is a sclar quantity then how is the linear momentum is vector but here we have to use the important property of the vector i.e., WHEN WE MULTIPLY THE VECTOR QUANTITY BY THE SCLAR QUANTITY THEN THE RESULTANT QUANTITY IS A VECTOR...!