A pellet gun fires ten 3.00 g pellets per second with a speed of 840 m/s. The pellets are stopped by a rigid wall. What is the average force (in newtons) exerted by the pellets on the wall?
To determine the average force exerted by the pellets on the wall, we can use the equation:
Average Force = (Change in momentum) / (Change in time)
First, let's calculate the change in momentum. The momentum of an object is given by the equation:
Momentum = mass * velocity
Since the pellets all have the same mass (3.00 g = 0.003 kg) and velocity (840 m/s), the momentum of each pellet is:
Momentum of each pellet = 0.003 kg * 840 m/s
Next, we need to determine the change in time. We know that the gun fires ten pellets per second. Therefore, the time it takes for ten pellets to be fired is 1 second.
Now, let's calculate the change in momentum:
Change in momentum = (Momentum of each pellet) * (Number of pellets fired) = (0.003 kg * 840 m/s) * 10
Next, we calculate the average force:
Average Force = (Change in momentum) / (Change in time) = [(0.003 kg * 840 m/s) * 10] / 1
Simplifying the equation, we get:
Average Force = (0.003 kg * 840 m/s) * 10
Finally, we can calculate the average force:
Average Force = 252 N
Therefore, the average force exerted by the pellets on the wall is 252 newtons.