Question

The lead female character in the movie Diamonds Are Forever is standing at the edge of an offshore oil rig. As she fires the gun, she is driven back over the edge and into the sea. Suppose the mass of a bullet is 0.009 kg, and its velocity is +712 m/s. Her mass (including the gun) is 50 kg.
(a) What recoil velocity does she acquire in response to a single shot from a stationary position, assuming that no external force keeps her in place?
m/s
(b) Under the same assumption, what would be her recoil velocity if, instead, she shoots a blank cartridge that ejects a mass of 5.0 10-4 kg at a velocity of +712 m/s?
m/s

Answer 1

Use momentum conservation. Please show your work if further assistance is needed.

Answer 2

a) (.009*712)/50=.12816 m/s, this answer is not right. what am I doing wrong.

Answer 3

Recoil will be in the negative direction.