A radioactive nucleus at rest decays into a second nucleus, an electron, and a neutrino. The electron and neutrino are emitted at right angles and have momenta of 9.50*10E-23 kg·m/s, and 5.30*10E-23 kg·m/s, respectively. What is the magnitude and direction of the momentum of the second (recoiling) nucleus?
Magnitude?
____________ kg·m/s
2007-11-14 10:37:18 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Conservation of momentum: 0 = p1 + p2 +p3 (vectors)
|p3| = (p1^2 + p2^2)^(1/2) = 10.9*10E-23 Kg m/s
The angle p3 p1 is 151°
2007-11-14 10:50:52 · answer #1 · answered by Luigi 74 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Momentum is conserved. The initial momentum is zero, and so is the final momentum. Since the recoiling electron and neutrino travel at right angles, let them establish a coordinate system; call those directions x and y.
The recoiling nucleus then has components of momentum equal to negative that of the electron on the x axis, and negative that of the neutrino on the y axis. Combine them to find the momentum magnitude and direction.
2007-11-14 10:45:12 · answer #2 · answered by jgoulden 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋