Impulse Calculator

About this calculator

Impulse is the product of a force and the time interval over which it acts, J = F·t, and by the impulse-momentum theorem it equals the resulting change in momentum, Δp = m·Δv — this is why the same force applied for longer, or a larger force applied briefly, both produce more of a velocity change on a given mass.

Physicists and engineers use impulse to explain why airbags, crumple zones, and padded landing surfaces reduce injury — they extend the time over which a collision's momentum change happens, which lowers the peak force involved even though the total impulse is the same — and to calculate rocket thrust, the recoil of a fired projectile, or the force from a bat or club striking a ball. Enter the force and time (and optionally mass) to find the impulse and resulting velocity change.