Answer to Question #127978 in Mechanics | Relativity for Quanda

Question

A pellet is fired from an air rifle with a horizontal velocity into sand in a stationary toy truck. The truck then takes off in a horizontal direction on a frictionless runway.

a) State whether or not momentum is conserved.

b) Explain your answer in (a) above.

Answer 1

a) momentum will be conserved.

(b) according to principle of conservation of momentum if no external force acts on a system then momentum of the system is conserved.

if we consider truck and bullet as a system then there is no any external force acts on the system,

so momentum of the system will be conserved .