Recoil of a gun: conservation of momentum
A gun fires a bullet: choose masses and muzzle speed, see the recoil velocity v_gun = −(m/M)v, total momentum zero, kinetic energy shared inversely to mass, and compare with a rocket-like thrust.
About this experiment
| Subject | Physics |
|---|---|
| Class | 11 |
| Chapter | 4. Laws of Motion |
| NCERT section | 4.7 |
| Level | NCERT level |
| Time | about 10 minutes |
| Access | Included in a PractiSci plan |
What you do in the lab
Change the controls and watch the physics behave in real time in 3D. Live readouts and graphs show the numbers behind it, and the Learn tab has the theory, procedure, observations and viva questions. Works on a phone or a laptop, in English and Hindi.
Topics: momentum conservation · recoil · explosion · Newton's third law