Linear Conservation of Momentum

[am08]

A 18-kg shell is fired from a gun with a muzzle velocity 185 m/s at 33o above the horizontal. At the top of the trajectory, the shell explodes into two fragments of equal mass. One fragment, whose speed immediately after the explosion is zero, falls vertically. What is the horizontal speed of the other fragment?

 

[Snazzy]

Well, I believe that the way to solve this problem is by first finding the x-component of the initial velocity.

Since this is an explosion momentum problem:

m_Tv_i_x = m_1v_1_x+m_2v_2_x

And one of the terms on the right will cancel out since v_x=0 for one of them.

 

[physixguru]

Use conservation of momentum.