A fireworks shell of mass is launched vertically from ground level
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Linear Momentum · Linear Momentum
Problem
A fireworks shell of mass M is launched vertically from ground level. Ignore air resistance.
• Just before the shell bursts it is 45m above the ground and traveling straight upward at 50m/s.
• The shell then separates into two pieces: a small fragment of mass 0.30M and a large fragment of mass 0.70M.
• Right after the burst the small fragment has a velocity of 30m/s due east relative to the ground, while its vertical component of velocity is unchanged from just before the burst.
Treat the burst as instantaneous and internal to the system consisting of both fragments.
(a) Determine the horizontal component of velocity of the large fragment immediately after the burst. Explain your reasoning.
(b) Calculate the time interval from the burst until each fragment reaches the ground.
(c) Determine the horizontal displacement of the system’s center of mass from the launch point when the fragments land.
(d) State whether the center of mass lands directly under the point where the burst occurred, east of that point, or west of that point, and justify your answer.