Question

A bullet of mass 10 g is fired horizontally with a velocity of 150 ms^–1 from a pistol of mass 2 kg. Find the recoil of the pistol.

Answer 1

Given: 

Mas of bullet = 10g 

Velocity of bullet = 150ms^-1 

Mass of pistol = 2 kg 

Due to the law of conservation of momentum the momentum of the bullet is equal to the recoil of the gun. So the sum of the momentum of both the objects is equal to zero. 

M_bV_b = –M_gV_g , Now,

V_g = \(-\frac{M_bV_b}{M_g}\) = \(-\frac{0.01\times150}{2}\) = 0.75ms^-1