A bomb free of outside forces is traveling north when it explodes into exactly three

pieces. (Ignore any gas molecules from the explosion that go off in miscellaneous
directions.) One piece continues to travel north, while another moves straight up relative
to the ground. It is possible for the third piece to travel in a direction which is exactly
a. North
b. East
c. Up
d. Down
e. South
f. West

Is the correct answer d?

No

No, the correct answer is b. East.

To understand why, let's break down the possible directions of the three pieces after the explosion:

1. The first piece continues to travel north. This means its direction after the explosion is north.

2. The second piece moves straight up relative to the ground. Since it is moving vertically, its direction after the explosion is up.

3. The third piece can travel in any direction except for north and up, since those directions are already taken by the other two pieces. This leaves east, south, and west as possible directions.

Therefore, out of the given options, the third piece can travel in the east direction.