Moderate

A body, initially at rest, explodes into two masses M1 and M2 that move apart with speeds v1 and v2 respectively. What is the ratio v1/v2?

Correct answer: A. -M2/M1

  • A. -M2/M1
  • B. M2/M1
  • C. (M1/M2)1/2
  • D. (M2/M1)1/2

Explanation

Applying Conservation of MomentumInitially, the body is at rest, resulting in an initial momentum of zero.After the explosion, the two masses M1 and M2 move with velocities v1 and v2 respectively.Conservation of momentum: Initial momentum = Final momentumAs the body is initially at rest, the equation becomes: 0 = M1. v1 + M2.v2Determining the Ratio v1/v2Rearranging the equation gives: (M1×v1)/(M2×v2} = -1This leads to:v1/v2 = -M2/M1

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