If a projectile explodes in mid-air, the force from the explosion will cause the various fragments of the original body to follow new trajectories—each of which will be a segment of a new parabola. Ho...If a projectile explodes in mid-air, the force from the explosion will cause the various fragments of the original body to follow new trajectories—each of which will be a segment of a new parabola. However, the center of mass of the fragments will continue along the original parabolic trajectory. (The center of mass is discussed in Chapter 31.) If the projectile travels a long distance, then we would need to allow for the rotation of the Earth by accounting for the Coriolis force (Chapter 43).
