Why is the magnitude of recoil velocity of a 4 ,kg pistol much smaller than the…
PHYSICS · Single correct · CBSE · Physics · Laws of Motion · Laws of Motion
Problem
Why is the magnitude of recoil velocity of a 4\,kg pistol much smaller than the muzzle velocity of the 8\,g bullet it fires?
(a) Because the expanding gases exert a much larger force on the bullet than on the pistol during firing
(b) Because conservation of energy requires the heavier pistol to carry the same kinetic energy as the bullet, so its speed is smaller
(c) Because equal and opposite momenta mean velocity is inversely proportional to mass, so the heavier pistol recoils more slowly
(d) Because recoil velocity varies with the square root of the inverse mass as in v∝1/m, giving the pistol only a small speed