A bomb of mass at rest on level ground explodes into three pieces of masses
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A bomb of mass 12kg at rest on level ground explodes into three pieces of masses 3kg, 4kg and 5kg. Immediately after the explosion the 3kg piece moves horizontally toward the east with a speed of 20ms−1, while the 4kg piece moves horizontally toward the north with a speed of 15ms−1.
(i) Determine the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the 5kg piece immediately after the explosion.
(ii) Calculate the total kinetic energy produced in the explosion.
(iii) Find the magnitude of the momentum carried by each fragment and verify that their vector sum is zero.