What is the term used for the measure of an object's motion influenced by its mass and velocity?

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Prepare for the AQA GCSE Physics Exam with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations. Get ready to excel in your exam!

The term that describes an object's motion as influenced by its mass and velocity is momentum. Momentum is a vector quantity defined mathematically as the product of an object's mass and its velocity. This relationship signifies that for an object to have momentum, it must be in motion and possess mass.

Understanding momentum is crucial in physics because it helps explain how objects behave during collisions. For example, when two objects collide, the total momentum of the system before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, assuming there are no external forces acting on the system. This principle underpins the conservation of momentum, a fundamental concept in mechanics.

In contrast, energy relates to the capacity to do work but does not specifically account for the motion in terms of mass and velocity together. Force is a different concept associated with the interaction that changes an object's state of motion, while inertia refers to an object's tendency to resist changes in its state of motion, which is influenced by its mass but does not explicitly take velocity into account. Therefore, momentum is the appropriate term that encapsulates the interaction of an object's mass and velocity in the context of motion.

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