A cannon of mass 1500 kg fires a 10-kg shell with a velocity of 200 m/s at an angle of 30° above the horizontal.Find the recoil velocity of the cannon across the level ground.
A) 1.15 m/s
B) 0.94 m/s
C) 2.41 m/s
D) 1.94 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Momentum is conserved in the horizontal direction. The initial momentum of the system is zero. The final momentum of the system is the momentum of the shell. Therefore, the recoil velocity of the cannon is:$$v_r = \frac{m_sv_{sx}}{m_c}$$$$v_r = \frac{(10 	ext{ kg})(200 	ext{ m/s})\cos 30°}{1500 	ext{ kg}}$$$$v_r = 1.15 	ext{ m/s}$$

A Cannon of Mass 1500 Kg Fires a 10-Kg Shell