---
title: "A firecracker in a coconut blows the coconut into three pieces. Two pieces of equal mass fly off south and west, perpendicular to each other, at \\( 18 \\) \\( \\text{m/s} \\). The third piece has \\( 2.5 \\) times the mass as the other two."
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/23218/"
date_modified: "2025-03-14T05:34:30+00:00"
---

# A firecracker in a coconut blows the coconut into three pieces. Two pieces of equal mass fly off south and west, perpendicular to each other, at \( 18 \) \( \text{m/s} \). The third piece has \( 2.5 \) times the mass as the other two.

A firecracker in a coconut blows the coconut into three pieces. Two pieces of equal mass fly off south and west, perpendicular to each other, at \( 18 \) \( \text{m/s} \). The third piece has \( 2.5 \) times the mass as the other two.

**Part a)** Find the speed of the third piece. *(3 points)*

**Part b)** What is the direction of the third piece? *(3 points)*

**Part c)** The third piece then collides elastically with a bystander near by. If the bystander could go back in time, explain what they could have done to reduce the impact force from the coconut piece. Justify your answer. *(3 points)*


*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/23218/*