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MDCAT Physics QUESTION #4404
Question 1
A cannon is placed on a smooth surface. When it fires a shell, the cannon moves backward. This recoil occurs due to:
  • Law of conservation of energy
  • Backward thrust of the gases
  • Newton's third law of motion✔️
  • Newton's first law of motion
Correct Answer Explanation
When the cannon fires a shell forward, by Newton's third law, the shell exerts an equal and opposite reaction force on the cannon backward. This causes the cannon to recoil.