The total kinetic energy of the cannon and cannonball system will depend on how the mass of the cannon affects the distribution of the energy from the blast between the cannon and the cannonball.
When the energy of the blast remains constant and the mass of the cannon increases, more of the total kinetic energy will be imparted to the cannon, meaning that the cannonball will receive less kinetic energy.
Since kinetic energy is proportional to the velocity squared, if the cannon's mass increases significantly, the velocity of the cannonball could decrease as a result of the conservation of momentum.
Thus, the total kinetic energy could decrease if more energy is transferred to the heavier cannon, resulting in a lower kinetic energy for the cannonball.
So the answer would be: The total kinetic energy decreases.
1 answer