MUSIC AND PHYSICS
MOMENTUM
MOMENTUM IS A VECTOR QUANTITY THAT DESCRIBES "MASS IN MOTION". EVERY OBJECT HAS A MASS, BUT FOR MOMENTUM, IT MUST ALSO HAVE SPEED. THIS IS SHOWN WITH MOMENTUM'S EQUATION: P=MV, WHERE M REPRESENTS MASS AND V REPRESENTS VELOCITY. SO, AN OBJECT WITH MORE MASS AND VELOCITY WILL HAVE A GREATER MOMENTUM THAN AN OBJECT WITH A SMALL MASS AND VELOCITY. MOMENTUM'S UNIT OF MEASUREMENT IS USUALLY KG M/S.
EXAMPLES IN MUSIC
ONE EXAMPLE OF MOMENTUM IN MUSIC IS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN GENERAL. FOR EXAMPLE, A GRAND PIANO HAS A LARGE MASS COMPARED TO AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR, BUT IT DOES NOT MOVE AT ALL. SO, THAT WOULD MAKE THE PIANO'S MOMENTUM ZERO, MEANING THE GUITAR WOULD STILL HAVE A LARGER MOMENTUM BECAUSE IT IS AN INSTRUMENT THAT IS USUALLY PLAYED WITH THE GUITARIST MOVING AROUND.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. DURING A BAND PRACTICE, ONE MUSICIAN PLAYS BASS (4 KG) WHILE STANDING STILL AS ANOTHER MUSICIAN PLAYS DRUMS (36 KG). WHICH HAS THE LARGER MOMENTUM AND WHY?
A: THE DRUMS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LARGER MASS
2. HOW WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO MAKE THE BASS GUITAR HAVE A LARGER MOMENTUM THAN THE DRUMS?
A: BY MOVING WHILE PLAYING THE BASS
A: THE DRUMS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LARGER MASS
2. HOW WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO MAKE THE BASS GUITAR HAVE A LARGER MOMENTUM THAN THE DRUMS?
A: BY MOVING WHILE PLAYING THE BASS