The impulse J is equal to the magnitude of the force applied to the cannonball times the time it is applied:

But the impulse is also equal to the change in momentum of the cannonball:

If we put the two equations together, we find

And since we know the magnitude of the average force and the time, we can calculate the change in momentum:
<span>e=ca{\displaystyle e={\frac {c}{a}}}.</span>