The most massive cannon ever built was made in Russia in 1868. This cannon had a mass in excess of 1.40 × 105 kg and could fire cannonballs with masses up to 4.80 × 102 kg. If the gunpowder in the cannon burned very quickly (adiabatically), forming compressed gas in the barrel, then the gas would expand and perform work on the cannonball. Suppose the initial speed of one of these cannonballs is 2.00 × 102 m/s.
a. How much work is done by the expanding gas?
b. If the internal energy of the gas is 12.0 MJ when the cannonball leaves the barrel, what is the initial internal energy of the gas immediately after all of the powder burns?