Question

Emily uses a rifle to shoot a bullet at a target. The bullet has a mass of 13 grams. The rifle has a mass of 3,500 grams. When she shoots, the bullet accelerates 850 m/s2. According to Newton’s third law of motion, the bullet is exerting the same force on the rifle. Why doesn’t the rifle accelerate 850 m/s2?

Answer 1

Force exerted by the bullet = mass * acceleration = 0.013 * 850 = 11.05 Newtons.

the rifle exerts same force in opposite direction so we have

11.05 = 3.5 * a
acceleration = 11.05 / 3.5 = 3.16 m /s^-2

Answer 2

The mass of the rifle is much greater than the mass of the bullet.

Step-by-step explanation:

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