Question

A 0.0250-kg bullet is accelerated from rest to a speed of 550 m/s in a 3.00-kg rifle. The pain of the rifle’s kick is much worse if you hold the gun loosely a few centimeters from your shoulder rather than holding it tightly against your shoulder. (a) Calculate the recoil velocity of the rifle if it is held loosely away from the shoulder. (b) How much kinetic energy does the rifle gain? (c) What is the recoil velocity if the rifle is held tightly against the shoulder, making the effective mass 28.0 kg? (d) How much kinetic energy is transferred to the rifle-shoulder combination? The pain is related to the amount of kinetic energy, which is significantly less in this latter situation. (e) Calculate the momentum of a 110-kg football player running at 8.00 m/s. Compare the player’s momentum with the momentum of a hard-thrown 0.410-kg football that has a speed of 25.0 m/s. Discuss its relationship to this problem.

Answer 1

a) 4.583 m/s

b) 31.505 J

c) 0.491 m/s

d) 3.375 J

e)

p_player = (110 kg)(8 m/s) = 880 kg m/s

p_ball = (0.41 kg)(25 m/s) = 10.25 kg m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

HI!

a)

We can calculate the recoil velocity by conservation of momentum, remember that p=mv.

The momentum of the bullet is:

p_b = (0.0250 kg)*(550 m/s )

The momentum of the rifle is:

p_r = (3 kg) * v

Since the total initial momentum is zero:

p_b = p_r

That is:

v = (550 m/s ) (0.0250 kg/ 3 kg ) = 4.583 m/s

b)

The kinetic energy gained by the rifle is:

K = (1/2) m v^2 = (1/2) *(3 kg) *(4.583 m/s)^2 = 31.505 J

c)

We use the same formula as in a), but with m=28kg instead of 3 kg

v = (550 m/s ) (0.0250 kg/ 28 kg ) = 0.491 m/s

d)

Again, the same formula as b, but with m=28 and v=0.491 m/s

K = 3.375 J

e)

p_player = (110 kg)(8 m/s) = 880 kg m/s

p_ball = (0.41 kg)(25 m/s) = 10.25 kg m/s

I believe that the kinetic energy is more related to the problem than the momentum. The relation between these two quantities is:

K = p^2/(2m)

usiing this relation, we get:

K_player = 3520 J

K_ball = 128.125 J

Therefore the kinetic energy of the player is around 27 time larger than the kinetic energy of the ball, that being said, the pain of being tackled by that player is around 27 times greater that being hit by the ball!