Force vs. Momentum — What's the Difference?

In physics, a force is any influence that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate.

In Newtonian mechanics, linear momentum, translational momentum, or simply momentum (pl. momenta) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object.

Strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement

Symbol p(Physics) A quantity used to measure the motion of a body, equal to the product of the body's mass and its velocity. Also called linear momentum.

Coercion or compulsion, especially with the use or threat of violence

The force or energy exhibited by a moving body

Mental or moral strength or power

The driving force or advancing strength of a development or course of events

An organized body of military personnel or police

(Philosophy) An essential or constituent element; a moment.

A waterfall.

(physics) Of a body in motion: the tendency of a body to maintain its inertial motion; the product of its mass and velocity, or the vector sum of the products of its masses and velocities.

Make a way through or into by physical strength; break open by force

The impetus, either of a body in motion, or of an idea or course of events; a moment.

Make (someone) do something against their will

The quantity of motion in a moving body, being always proportioned to the quantity of matter multiplied by the velocity; impetus.

The capacity to do work or cause physical change; energy, strength, or active power

Essential element, or constituent element.

Power made operative against resistance; exertion

A property of an activity or course of events, viewed as analogous to forward motion or to physical momentum (def. 1), such that the activity is believed to be able to continue moving forward without further application of force or effort; - often used to describe an increase in the acquisition of public support for a purpose; as, as, the petition drive gained momentum when it was mentioned in the newspapers.

The use of physical power or violence to compel or restrain

An impelling force or strength;

Intellectual power or vigor, especially as conveyed in writing or speech.

The product of a body's mass and its velocity;

Moral strength.

A capacity for affecting the mind or behavior; efficacy

One that possesses such capacity

A body of persons or other resources organized or available for a certain purpose

A person or group capable of influential action

Military strength.

A unit of a nation's military personnel, especially one deployed into combat

A vector quantity indicating the strength and direction of the capacity to accelerate a body. Newton's second law of motion states that a free body accelerates in the direction of the net force and that its acceleration is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to its mass.

See fundamental force.

(Baseball) A force play.

To compel through pressure or necessity

To gain by the use of force or coercion

To move or effect against resistance or inertia

To inflict or impose relentlessly

To put undue strain on

To increase or accelerate (a pace, for example) to the maximum.

To produce with effort and against one's will

To use (language) with obvious lack of ease and naturalness.

To move, open, or clear by force

To break down or open by force

To rape.

To induce change in (a complex system) by changing one of its parameters

(Botany) To cause to grow or mature by artificially accelerating normal processes.

To put (a runner) out on a force play.

To allow (a run) to be scored by walking a batter when the bases are loaded.

(Games) To cause an opponent to play (a particular card).

Strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigour; might; capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect.

Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion.

(countable) Anything that is able to make a substantial change in a person or thing.

A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn)

Something or anything that has the power to produce a physical effect upon something else, such as causing it to move or change shape.

(countable) A group that aims to attack, control, or constrain.

(uncountable) The ability to attack, control, or constrain.

(countable) A magic trick in which the outcome is known to the magician beforehand, especially one involving the apparent free choice of a card by another person.

(legal) Legal validity.

(legal) Either unlawful violence, as in a "forced entry", or lawful compulsion.

Ability of an utterance or its element (word, form, prosody, ...) to effect a given meaning.

|often|capitalized}}Star Wars A metaphysical and ubiquitous power from the fictional Star Wars universe created by George Lucas. See usage note.

Synonym of police force

A waterfall or cascade.

(transitive) To violate (a woman); to rape.

To exert oneself, to do one's utmost.

(transitive) To compel (someone or something) to do something.

(transitive) To constrain by force; to overcome the limitations or resistance of.

(transitive) To drive (something) by force, to propel (generally + prepositional phrase or adverb).

(transitive) To cause to occur (despite inertia, resistance etc.); to produce through force.

(transitive) To forcibly open (a door, lock etc.).

To obtain or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress.

To create an out by touching a base in advance of a runner who has no base to return to while in possession of a ball which has already touched the ground.

(whist) To compel (an adversary or partner) to trump a trick by leading a suit that he/she does not hold.

(archaic) To put in force; to cause to be executed; to make binding; to enforce.

(archaic) To provide with forces; to reinforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to man; to garrison.

(obsolete) To allow the force of; to value; to care for.

To stuff; to lard; to farce.

To stuff; to lard; to farce.

To constrain to do or to forbear, by the exertion of a power not resistible; to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means; to coerce; as, masters force slaves to labor.

To compel, as by strength of evidence; as, to force conviction on the mind.

To do violence to; to overpower, or to compel by violence to one's will; especially, to ravish; to violate; to commit rape upon.

To obtain, overcome, or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress; as, to force the castle; to force a lock.

To impel, drive, wrest, extort, get, etc., by main strength or violence; - with a following adverb, as along, away, from, into, through, out, etc.

To put in force; to cause to be executed; to make binding; to enforce.

To exert to the utmost; to urge; hence, to strain; to urge to excessive, unnatural, or untimely action; to produce by unnatural effort; as, to force a conceit or metaphor; to force a laugh; to force fruits.

To compel (an adversary or partner) to trump a trick by leading a suit of which he has none.

To provide with forces; to reënforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to man; to garrison.

To allow the force of; to value; to care for.

To use violence; to make violent effort; to strive; to endeavor.

To make a difficult matter of anything; to labor; to hesitate; hence, to force of, to make much account of; to regard.

To be of force, importance, or weight; to matter.

A waterfall; a cascade.

Capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect; strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigor; might; often, an unusual degree of strength or energy; especially, power to persuade, or convince, or impose obligation; pertinency; validity; special signification; as, the force of an appeal, an argument, a contract, or a term.

Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion; as, by force of arms; to take by force.

Strength or power for war; hence, a body of land or naval combatants, with their appurtenances, ready for action; - an armament; troops; warlike array; - often in the plural; hence, a body of men prepared for action in other ways; as, the laboring force of a plantation; the armed forces.

Strength or power exercised without law, or contrary to law, upon persons or things; violence.

Any action between two bodies which changes, or tends to change, their relative condition as to rest or motion; or, more generally, which changes, or tends to change, any physical relation between them, whether mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, magnetic, or of any other kind; as, the force of gravity; cohesive force; centrifugal force.

A unit that is part of some military service;

One possessing or exercising power or influence or authority;

(physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity;

Group of people willing to obey orders;

A powerful effect or influence;

An act of aggression (as one against a person who resists);

Physical energy or intensity;

A group of people having the power of effective action;

(of a law) having legal validity;

To cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :

Urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate

Move with force,

Impose or thrust urgently, importunately, or inexorably;

Squeeze like a wedge into a tight space;

Force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically;

Do forcibly; exert force;

Cause to move along the ground by pulling;

Take by force;