Question

A stone, when thrown on a glass window, smashes the windowpane to pieces, but a bullet from the gun passes through making a clean hole. Why?

(a) Due to the large size of the stone

(b) Depends on the material of the window

(c) Because of the force

(d) Because of the small speed of the stone

I got this question by my school teacher while I was bunking the class.

My question comes from Friction and Forces in chapter Laws of Motion of Engineering Physics I

Answer 1

Correct answer is (d) Because of the small speed of the stone

To explain I would say: Because of the small speed, the stone remains in contact with the windowpane for a longer period. It transfers its motion to the pane and breaks it into pieces. But the particles of windowpane near the hole are unable to share the fast motion of the bullet and so remain undisturbed.