PHYSICS · Subjective · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A rifle fires a bullet horizontally in open space.
(i) Identify the action force and the corresponding reaction force during the short time the bullet is being accelerated inside the barrel.
(ii) Describe why these two forces do not cancel each other even though they are equal and opposite.
(iii) Using Newton’s laws, explain qualitatively why the bullet emerges with a much larger acceleration than the rifle experiences in recoil.