alleryStart learning →Why does the momentum of a moving object always point in the same direction as its velocity?
AMass is a scalar, not a vector
BMass always acts downwards
CVelocity is a scalar quantity
DMomentum has no direction
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Mass is a scalar, not a vector
1. Momentum is the product of the mass of an object and its velocity.
2. Mass is a scalar, so it carries a size but no direction of its own.
3. Multiplying a vector by a positive scalar changes only its size, never the way it points.
4. So the momentum vector keeps the direction of the velocity vector exactly.
5. Momentum certainly does have a direction, which rules out the last option.
_Source: Siyavula Physical Sciences Grade 12 (Everything Science, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 2: Momentum and impulse_
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