The lead female character in the movie Diamonds Are Forever is standing at the e
ID: 1449579 • Letter: T
Question
The lead female character in the movie Diamonds Are Forever is standing at the edge of an offshore oil rig. As she fires a gun, she is driven back over the edge and into the sea. Suppose the mass of a bullet is 0.010 kg, and its velocity is +717 m/s. Her mass (including the gun) is 47 kg.
(a) What recoil velocity does she acquire in response to a single shot from a stationary position, assuming that no external force keeps her in place? Incorrect: Your answer is incorrect. m/s
(b) Under the same assumption, what would be her recoil velocity if, instead, she shoots a blank cartridge that ejects a mass of 5.0 10-4 kg at a velocity of +717 m/s?
Explanation / Answer
a) mv = -MV
0.01 kg * 717m/s = -47 kg * V
V = - 0.1525 m/s
b) mv = -MV
5e-4kg * 717m/s = -47 kg * V
V = - 7.627e-3 m/s = -0.007627 m/s
In both cases, the minus sign means that the bullet and the woman move in opposite directions when the gun is fired. The total momentum of the system remains zero, because momentum is a vector quantity, and the momenta of the bullet and the woman have equal magnitudes, but opposite directions.
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