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2 DYNAMICS

P20 002.m

An explosion of a stationary object causes it to split into three smaller objects of equal mass. The motion of two of the smaller objects immediately after the explosion is shown in the diagram. Determine the velocity of the third object immediately after the explosion.

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Solution

Label the three objects as A, B and C.

Momentum is conserved in the explosion.

momentum before explosion = momentum after explosion

initial momentum = 0

final momentum =

The three objects have the same mass

The velocity of the third object immediately after the explosion is 346 m.s^-1 due West.

It is not necessary for you to use the unit vector notation. However, it makes it easier to keep track of directions.