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garr6120
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Homework Statement
A rifle bullet of mass 10.0 g strikes and becomes embedded in a wooden block of mass 490 g, which is at rest on a horizontal, frictionless surface and is attached to a spring bumper.
The impact compresses the spring, whose force constant is 100 N/m, by 20 cm.
(a) what is the maximum potential energy of the spring?
(b) Determine the velocity with which the block and bullet first begin to move.
(c) What was the initial velocity of the bullet?
(d) What was the initial kinetic energy of the bullet?
Homework Equations
E = 1/2*mv^2 + 1/2*kx^2
The Attempt at a Solution
I first converted the 490 g into 0.490 kg, 10.0 g into 0.01 kg, 20 cm into 0.2 m.
Next, I solved for maximum potential energy by only using the equation E = 1/2*kx^2
And then I get stuck trying to find the speed of the block and bullet and the other questions.