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In physics, momentum (“quantity of motion”) is the product of mass and velocity: p = mv A fully loaded cargo ship traveling at cruising speed has enormous momentum. You can’t simply turn the wheel and expect the vessel to pivot sharply. It will fight you. It wants to keep going straight.

To change its direction, you need to apply a gentle, continuous force over a long arc —sometimes with the help of a tugboat— to slowly bend its trajectory. There is no such thing as a sudden 90-degree turn in a ship that size.