Join the Most Relevant JEE Main 2025 Test Series & get 99+ percentile! Join Now
Search any question & find its solution
Question: Answered & Verified by Expert
A ball starts falling under the effect of gravitational force from a height of 45 m. When it reaches a height of 25 m it explodes into two pieces of mass ratio 1:2. There is no change in the vertical motion of the pieces after the explosion but they acquire horizontal velocity. If the heavier piece gains a horizontal velocity of 10 m s-1, then the distance between the two pieces when both of them strike the ground is
PhysicsCenter of Mass Momentum and CollisionJEE Main
Options:
  • A 30 m
  • B 10 m
  • C 20 m
  • D 15 m
Solution:
1286 Upvotes Verified Answer
The correct answer is: 30 m

Let us assume the mass of the ball is 3m and the velocity of the lighter piece in horizontal direction after the explosion is v. We know that just after the collision, the horizontal velocity of the heavier piece is 10 m s-1. Using conservation of momentum in the horizontal direction we get

mv=2m×10

v=20 m s-1

Since there is no change in vertical motion, the time taken by the pieces to reach the ground can be calculated in the following way.

Total time to fall through 45 m is

T45=2×4510=3 s

The time taken to fall through first 20 m is

T20=2×2010=2 s.

Hence time taken by the pieces to fall from 25 m height to ground is

T40-T20=3-2=1 s

The relative velocity of the pieces in the horizontal direction is

vrel=v--10=30 m s-1

The horizontal distance between the two pieces at the time of striking the ground is

x=30×1=30 m

Looking for more such questions to practice?

Download the MARKS App - The ultimate prep app for IIT JEE & NEET with chapter-wise PYQs, revision notes, formula sheets, custom tests & much more.