A tiny gun made of a strong but very light material fires a bullet more massive than the gun itself. For such a weapon

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a gun fires a bullet, both the bullet and the gun experience forces of equal magnitude but in opposite directions due to Newton's third law. If the bullet is more massive than the gun, the gun (and thus the shooter) will experience a larger acceleration backwards (recoil) than the bullet does forwards, due to the principle of conservation of momentum. This could potentially make the situation more dangerous for the shooter than the target, especially if the gun's recoil is strong enough to cause injury. Conservation of energy and momentum still hold in this scenario, as these are fundamental principles that apply regardless of the masses involved.

A Tiny Gun Made of a Strong but Very Light