Question

A model rocket is fired from the ground in a parabolic arc. At the very top of the arc, at a horizontal displacement of 260 m from the launch point, an explosion occurs within the rocket, breaking it into two fragments which separate from each other. One fragment, having 1/3 the mass of the rocket, falls straight down to Earth as if it were at rest at that moment right after the explosion.  Determine the total horizontal displacement from the launch point the other fragment lands.  (The two fragments land simultaneously.) HINT: Think of the explosion at the top of the arc as a kind of "reverse collision," so use momentum conservation to solve the problem.

Answer 1