Simulation · Physics · Class 11
Explosion: equal momenta, unequal energies
From the lesson Conservation of momentum in Laws of Motion. Change the values and watch what happens.
Explosion: equal momenta, unequal energiesPhysics · Class 11
The idea behind it
NCERT § "Conservation of Momentum"
- For an isolated system of interacting particles, total momentum stays constant; this follows directly from the second and third laws.
- Recoil of a gun: gun and bullet start at rest, so after firing their momenta are equal and opposite; the heavier gun moves back much more slowly.
- In any collision the momentum lost by one body equals the momentum gained by the other, whatever happens to the kinetic energy.
- When one body throws another (for example a person on smooth ice throwing a ball), velocities must be measured relative to the ground before applying conservation.
- Momentum is conserved as a vector; in one-dimensional problems keep track of direction with signs.