Question

A bullet in motion hits and gets embedded in a solid resting on a frictionless table. What is conserved?

• A. Momentum and kinetic energy
• B. Momentum alone
• C. Kinetic energy alone
• D. Neither momentum nor kinetic energy

Answer 1

The correct option is B Momentum alone

Since no external force is acting on the bullet + solid system when a bullet gets embedded in the solid, thus total momentum of the system is conserved.

But total kinetic energy of the system is not conserved as it is a perfectly inelastic collision and some kinetic energy is lost as heat.