A stationary bomb explodes in space breaking into a number of small fragments. At the location of the explosion, the net force due to gravity is zero newtons. Which one of the following statements concerning this event is true?
A)Kinetic energy is conserved in this process.
B)All of the fragments must have equal kinetic energies.
C)The sum of the kinetic energies of the fragments must be zero.
D)The vector sum of the linear momenta of the fragments must be zero.
E)The mass of any one fragment must be equal to the mass of any other fragment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the net force due to gravity is zero, momentum must be conserved. Therefore, the vector sum of the linear momenta of the fragments must be zero. Option A is incorrect because kinetic energy is not necessarily conserved in this process, as it depends on the nature of the explosion. Option B is also incorrect because the fragments may have different masses and therefore different kinetic energies. Option C is incorrect because the sum of the kinetic energies of the fragments must be positive, and cannot be zero. Option E is also incorrect because the masses of the fragments may be different.

A Stationary Bomb Explodes in Space Breaking into a Number