Answer:
D) momentum of cannon + momentum of projectile= 0
Explanation:
The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of an isolated system is constant.
In this case, the system cannon+projectile can be considered as isolated, because no external forces act on it (in fact, the surface is frictionless, so there is no friction acting on the cannon). Therefore, the total momentum of the two objects (cannon+projectile) must be equal before and after the firing:
[tex]p_i = p_f[/tex]
But the initial momentum is zero, because at the beginning both the cannon and the projectile are at rest:
[tex]p_i = 0[/tex]
So the final momentum, which is sum of the momentum of the cannon and of the projectile, must also be zero:
[tex]p_f = p_{cannon}+p_{projectile} =0[/tex]
