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mdk31
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Homework Statement
I have a problem that involves a vertical axis that can rotate through a fixed axis located at the very top of the rod, at point A (the axis is coming out towards us, the rod's rotation would look like a pendulum). The rod is nonuniform and there is a block attached to the rod. A bullet is fired at the block, causing the block-bullet-rod system to rotate. I must find the rotational inertia of the block-rod-bullet system. We are told to treat the block as a particle
The mass of the bullet is .01 kg
The mass of the block .50 kg.
The rotational inertia of the rod alone is .060 kg-m^2
The length of the rod is .60 m.
The mass of the rod is .50 kg.
Homework Equations
I=I[center of mass] + Mh^2
The Attempt at a Solution
I was thinking about using the parallel axis theorem, where the .060 was the I[cm] and Mh^2 was the total mass of the bullet and block times the length of the rod squared. But I then I realized that the rotational axis was not at the rod's center of mass. I'm really not sure how to proceed...I'm stuck.