A 10 kg cart with a momentum of 10 kg• m/s hits a 20 kg cart at rest. Momentum is calculated by using

the formula p = mv, where m is the mass of an object and vis the velocity of an object.

Change in momentum formula

The change in momentum resulting from an external force is called the impulse (I=mv-mvo) and is related to the force applied through the Impulse-Momentum Theorem: I = F tc = mv - mvo. Here F is the external force applied and tc is the amount of time the force is in contact with the object.