A shell of mass lying at rest on a smooth horizontal surface suddenly explodes into…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Linear Momentum · Linear Momentum
Problem
A shell of mass 2.0kg lying at rest on a smooth horizontal surface suddenly explodes into two fragments whose masses are 0.5kg and 1.5kg. The lighter fragment flies off with a speed of 12ms−1 making an angle of 40∘ above the horizontal.
(i) Calculate the magnitude of the velocity of the heavier fragment immediately after the explosion.
(ii) Determine the angle that the velocity of the heavier fragment makes with the horizontal.
(iii) Find the ratio of the kinetic energies of the two fragments just after the explosion.