Old naval ships fired 15 cannon balls from a 200 cannon. It was very important to stop the recoil of the cannon, since otherwise the heavy cannon…

Old naval ships fired 15 cannon balls from a 200 cannon. It was very important to stop the recoil of the cannon, since otherwise the heavy cannon would go careening across the deck of the ship. In one design, a large spring with spring constant 2.0×104 was placed behind the cannon. The other end of the spring braced against a post that was firmly anchored to the ship’s frame.