LAW OF

CONSERVATION OF
MOMENTUM AND
ITS APPLICATION
CE 371 – H Y D RAU L ICS E N GI N EERI NG
 DEFINITION

Conservation – The preservation of a physical quantity

during transformations or reactions. (Merriam dictionary)

Momentum - Is defined as the motion of the mass of an

object
-is a physics term; it refers to the quantity of motion that
an object has. If an object is in motion (on the move) then
it has momentum. 
Law of Conservation of Momentum

States that the total momentum of two or more objects acting

upon one another will not change provided there are no
external forces on them.
Newton’s second law is simply the law of conservation of
momentum.
“It states that the time rate of change of momentum of a
system of a particle is equal to the sum of external forces
acting on the body.”
Formula
The momentum conservation principle can be
mathematically represented as:
m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2
where:
m1 and m2 - masses of the bodies
u1 and u2 - the initial velocities of the body
v1 and v2 - the final velocities of the bodies