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A 10.0-g bullet is fired horizontally into a 2.50-kg wooden block attached to on

ID: 2250808 • Letter: A

Question

A 10.0-g bullet is fired horizontally into a 2.50-kg wooden block attached to one end of a massless spring (k = 845 N/m). The other end of the spring is fixed in place, and the spring is initially unstrained. The block rests on a horizontal, frictionless surface. The bullet strikes the block perpendicularly and quickly comes to a halt buried within the block. As the result of this completely inelastic collision, the spring is compressed along its axis, causing the block-bullet-spring system to oscillate with an amplitude of 0.200 m. What was the speed of the bullet?

A 10.0-g bullet is fired horizontally into a 2.50-kg wooden block attached to one end of a massless spring (k = 845 N/m). The other end of the spring is fixed in place, and the spring is initially unstrained. The block rests on a horizontal, frictionless surface. The bullet strikes the block perpendicularly and quickly comes to a halt buried within the block. As the result of this completely inelastic collision, the spring is compressed along its axis, causing the block-bullet-spring system to oscillate with an amplitude of 0.200 m. What was the speed of the bullet?

Explanation / Answer

mv=(M+m)v' [Momentum conservation]

.01v=2.51v' => v' = 0.003984v

1/2(k)(x^2)=1/2(M+m)(v'^2)

=>845*(0.2^2)/(2.51*0.003984^2) = v^2 = 848380

=> v =921.07 m/s

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