Strictly speaking, when a cannon is fired, compared with the
momentum of the recoiling cannon, the opposite momentum of the cannonball is
Why? Because more than just a cannonball comes out of the barrel when a cannon is fired. The gas that pushes the cannonball along the barrel, which forms when the powder in the cannon explodes, has appreciable mass and exits at high speed. More than negligible momentum is given to the gases. So,
Momentum of recoiling cannon = Momentum of cannonball + Momentum of gases
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