An explosion breaks a rock into three parts in a horizontal plane. Two...
Problem Overview
An explosion causes a rock to break into three parts, with two parts moving at right angles to each other. We need to find the mass of the third part based on the given data.
Given Data
- Mass of first part (m1) = 1 kg
- Speed of first part (v1) = 12 m/s
- Mass of second part (m2) = 2 kg
- Speed of second part (v2) = 8 m/s
- Speed of third part (v3) = 4 m/s
Conservation of Momentum
According to the principle of conservation of momentum, the total momentum before and after the explosion must be equal. Since the explosion occurs in a horizontal plane and two parts move at right angles, we can analyze the momentum in two dimensions (x and y).
Calculating x-direction Momentum
- Momentum of first part in x-direction = m1 * v1 = 1 kg * 12 m/s = 12 kg·m/s
- Momentum of second part in y-direction = m2 * v2 = 2 kg * 8 m/s = 16 kg·m/s
Magnitude of Third Part's Momentum
Since the third part moves at an angle, we need to find its mass (m3) using the total momentum in both directions.
Using Pythagorean Theorem
To find m3, we can apply the conservation of momentum:
- Total momentum in x-direction = Total momentum in y-direction
Using the speeds, we can set up the equation:
- m3 * v3 = sqrt((m1 * v1)^2 + (m2 * v2)^2)
Substituting the values:
- m3 * 4 = sqrt((12)^2 + (16)^2) = sqrt(400) = 20
Solving for m3
- m3 * 4 = 20
- m3 = 20 / 4 = 5 kg
Conclusion
Thus, the mass of the third part is 5 kg. The correct answer is option 'A'.