Rankers Physics

Momentum Conservation: Practice Problem & Solution

A bomb of mass M at rest explodes into three pieces, two of which of mass M/4 each, are thrown off in perpendicular directions with speeds of 3 m/s and 4 m/s. The third piece is thrown off with a speed
1.5 m/s
2 m/s
2.5 m/s
3 m/s

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Momentum Conservation. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

As the bomb was initially at rest and no external force acts on it total momentum of the bomb should remain constant.

so, (m/4) 3 i +(m/4) 4 j + (m/2) v1 = 0

v1 = 3/2 i + 4/2 j

|V1|= 2.5 m/s

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *