Breaking Plates

[Naeem]

Q. While thinking about your physics homework, you drop one of your mom's dinner plates on the floor breaking it into three pieces. The second piece has a mass of 2 times the first piece and flys off perpendicular to it. These first two pieces both have a speed of 2.6 m/sec. The third piece has 3 times the first piece.

a) What is the magnitude of the velocity of the third plate?
For this I applied consevation of momentum in both the x and y directions, and got the answer, which is correct.


Take the direction of the first piece to be the x axis, the direction of the second piece to be the y axis, and angles to be measured positive counter-clockwise from the x axis.
b) What is the direction of the third plate?

I tried to find the direction using , tan theta = v3y / v3x, but still the computer says the answer is incorrect. Is the idea correct.
Θ3=

For this portion of the problem, assume the plate had a total mass of 1.4 kg.
c) What was the total impulse delivered to the third piece?

J3 = ? I know that impulse is the change in momentum Delta P, which is

p2 - p1, but how do I apply it in this situation.

Please help, Thanks!

[Gokul43201]

b) Your method seems correct. I can't say more unless I see exactly what you have done.

c) I guess what you want here is the change in momentum along the final direction. Since the initial momentum along this direction = 0. The final momentum should be the required answer.

[Naeem]

But how would I find m3, the total mass is 1.4 kg.
and m3 = 3m1
m2 = 2m1
v1 = 2.6 m/s

v2 = 2.6m/s

Would the above info help us in solving this problem , if so , what would the final eqn, look like.

Thanks,