A blue car with mass mc = 468 kg is moving east with a speed of vc = 21 m/s and collides with a purple truck with mass mt = 1264 kg that is moving south with a speed of vt = 12 m/s. the two collide and lock together after the collision. 1) what is the magnitude of the initial momentum of the car

To calculate the magnitude of the initial momentum of the car in this situation you have to multiple the mass of the blue car times the speed. The mass, 468kg, times the speed, 21 m/s, equals 9828. This means the magnitude of the initial momentum of the blue car in the situation is 9828kg per m/s. In this case, and in simple terminology, the magnitude measures how big something is. So the magnitude of the momentum is just the measurement of how big the initial moment of the car is.