Physics - Center of Mass Question with Solution | TestHub
Assertion (A): When a bomb explodes in mid-air, the total momentum of its fragments immediately after the explosion is equal to the momentum of the bomb just before the explosion.
Reason (R): The explosion is an internal process, and no external force acts on the system during the explosion.
Options:
Answer:
Solution:
During an explosion, the forces acting between the fragments are internal forces. If we consider the bomb (and its fragments) as a system, the net external force acting on it during the short duration of the explosion is negligible compared to the internal explosive forces (e.g., gravity is an external force but its impulse is very small over a short time).
According to the principle of conservation of momentum, if the net external force on a system is zero, its total momentum remains constant.
Therefore, the total momentum of the fragments immediately after the explosion is equal to the momentum of the bomb just before the explosion. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
