A cannon of mass is mounted on a railway carriage that can move freely along smooth…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Laws of Motion · Laws of Motion
Problem
A cannon of mass 500kg is mounted on a railway carriage that can move freely along smooth horizontal rails. The cannon fires a 10kg shell at an angle of 30∘ to the horizontal with a muzzle speed of 400m s−1 relative to the carriage. Neglect air resistance. Assume that no external horizontal forces act during the short firing interval.
(a) Calculate the horizontal component of the recoil velocity of the cannon–carriage system immediately after the shell is fired.
(b) Determine the kinetic energy acquired by (i) the shell and (ii) the cannon–carriage system as a result of the firing.
(c) Find the ratio of the recoil kinetic energy of the cannon–carriage system to the kinetic energy of the shell.