Conservation of Momentum in Explosions

You have seen how to calculate momentum for a single object and understand how impulse changes momentum. You have also studied Newton’s Third Law to learn the nature of the forces involved when two objects interact.  Now it is time to pull these ideas together to see how momentum is conserved in these interactions.  You will start with the simplest type of interaction, the explosion.

Essential Questions:

• What is an explosion in physics as defined by conservation of momentum in closed systems?