When a bullet is fired from a gun, what is true about the momentum?

Responses

The bullet and the gun have equal momenta in the same direction, so the system's momentum is conserved.

The bullet and the gun have equal momenta in the same direction, so the system's momentum is conserved.

The gun has more momentum than the bullet, so the momentum is not conserved.

The gun has more momentum than the bullet, so the momentum is not conserved.

The bullet has more momentum than the gun, so momentum is not conserved.

The bullet has more momentum than the gun, so momentum is not conserved.

The bullet and gun have equal momenta in opposite directions, so the system's momentum is conserved.

1 answer

The correct response is:

The bullet and gun have equal momenta in opposite directions, so the system's momentum is conserved.

In a closed system where no external forces are acting, the law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum before an event (in this case, the firing of the bullet) must equal the total momentum after the event. When the bullet is fired, the bullet gains momentum in one direction, while the gun experiences an equal and opposite momentum in the opposite direction due to its recoil. Thus, their momenta are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, resulting in the conservation of total momentum for the system.