Definition:Impulse

Definition

The impulse imparted to a particle $P$ is defined as the integral with respect to time of the force acting on $P$ over a finite time:

$\mathbf J := \ds \int_{t_1}^{t_2} \mathbf F \rd t$

where:

$\mathbf F$ denotes the resultant force applied to $P$

$t_1$ is the instant of time at which $\mathbf F$ starts to be applied

$t_2$ is the instant of time at which $\mathbf F$ stops being applied.

Impulse is a vector quantity.

Also see

• Results about impulse can be found here.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): impulse: 1.
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): impulse: 1.