Angie, Brad, and Carlos are discussing a physics problem in which two identical

Question

Angie, Brad, and Carlos are discussing a physics problem in which two identical bullets are fired with equal speeds at equal-mass wood and steel blocks resting on a frictionless table. One bullet bounces off the steel block while the second becomes embedded in the wood block. "All the masses and speeds are the same," says Angie, "so I think the blocks will have equal speeds after the collisions." "But what about momentum?" asks Brad. "The bullet hitting the wood block transfers all its momentum and energy to the block, so the wood block should end up going faster than the steel block." "I think the bounce is an important factor," replies Carlos. "The steel block will be faster because the bullet bounces off it and goes back the other direction." Which of these three, if any, do you agree with? Explain your reasoning using physics principles.

Explanation / Answer

Here ,

according to second law of motion

Force applied on the bullet = change in momentum of the bullet

as accrording to third law of motion

force applied by block on bullet is equal to force acting on the block by bullet

as the change in momentum will heigher for the bullet bouncing from the block

hence , Carlos is right

"The steel block will be faster because the bullet bounces off it and goes back the other direction."

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