Q5.19 A shell of mass 0.020 kg is fired by a gun of mass 100 kg. If the muzzle speed of the shell is , what is the recoil speed of the gun?
In this question, we will use the conservation of momentum.
Final momentum = Initial momentum
For initial momentum :
Both gun and shell are at rest initially so momentum is zero.
For final momentum :
The direction of the velocity of the shell is opposite to that of the gun.
So,
The recoil speed of the gun :
or