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A 4.4 kg mess kit sliding on a frictionless surface explodes into two 2.2 kg parts. What is the velocity of one of the 2.2 kg parts after the explosion?

a) The velocity remains the same
b) The velocity is halved
c) The velocity is doubled
d) The velocity cannot be determined without additional information

User Sdtom
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

To determine the velocity of one part of the mess kit after the explosion, additional information is needed due to the conservation of momentum. Without this information, the velocity of the parts after the explosion cannot be determined. Hence, the correct option is (d).

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves the concept of conservation of momentum which is a fundamental principle in physics. Since the mess kit explodes on a frictionless surface, the total momentum before and after the explosion remains constant.

Given this, when a 4.4 kg mess kit explodes into two 2.2 kg parts, without additional information such as the velocity of one part or the direction of the velocities post-explosion, we cannot determine the velocity of one of the 2.2 kg parts. The correct answer is d) The velocity cannot be determined without additional information.

User Sagar Pise
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