Symmetric Chaos
Okay so I know that KE is .5mv^2 and momentum is mv and that KE is scalar while momentum is vector. My question is how/why they are different.
If something with high momentum hits me how is that different from being hit by something with high KE? Or alternately is there a rule of thumb for when one or the other should be used?
I've spent the last several days searching the internet and the only helpful thing I found was "Kinetic energy is how much energy a moving body can carry. Momentum determines how that energy is delivered." but even that isn't particularly clear.
If something with high momentum hits me how is that different from being hit by something with high KE? Or alternately is there a rule of thumb for when one or the other should be used?
I've spent the last several days searching the internet and the only helpful thing I found was "Kinetic energy is how much energy a moving body can carry. Momentum determines how that energy is delivered." but even that isn't particularly clear.