Physics · Force and inertia, Newton's first law of motion, momentum, Newton's second Law of motion, impulse, Newton's third Law of motion

If soldiers had the options to use guns of different weights but the bullets use

If soldiers had the options to use guns of different weights but the bullets used are of a fixed weight, what would they prefer and why?

  • A. Light guns, because handling them is easy
  • B. Heavy guns, because they can be held firmly
  • C. Heavy guns because they have less recoil
  • D. Light guns, because they can be carried easily

Step-by-step solution

When a bullet is fired, conservation of momentum dictates that the gun gains momentum equal and opposite to the bullet's momentum. For fixed bullet mass and velocity, the gun's recoil velocity is inversely proportional to its mass, so a heavier gun experiences less recoil. Thus, soldiers prefer heavy guns for reduced recoil.
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