Question

When a bullet is fired from a pistol, in which direction the pistol moves (ignore the force exerted by hand)?

• A. opposite to the bullet'e direction
• B. same as the bullet'e direction
• C. it will be in same position as before
• D. The pistol will not move

Answer 1

The correct option is A

opposite to the bullet'e direction

The total momentum of the bullet-pistol system was initially zero as both of them were at rest with respect to ground. Hence, according to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of the system will be zero even after firing the shot. Since the momentum of the bullet will be in a forward direction, in order to balance it, the momentum of the pistol should be in the backward direction or the pistol should move backwards.