Calling GCSE physics teachers (or anyone else who can help)

[thedollyridesout]

Does anyone have any tips for helping students to understand the concept of momentum?

I teach GCSE Physics.

Being run into by an elephant is quite a good illustration.

Yes it is

So, how could you improve your chances with said elephant?

Run away from it!

I was thinking in terms of reducing the force of said elephant.

make it run through custard to slow it down

I seem to recall some experiment with little cars of different weights rolling down a slope?

You could be run into by an elephant or a mouse both going at the same speed. The mouse doesn't move you because its mass is small, its momentum is small (so that momentum when shared with your mass too is negligible).

The elephant has lots of momentum so when it hits you, you only slow it slightly, i.e. it knocks you for six. (conservation of momentum is slowly coming back to me here).