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radiantvibe
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Homework Statement
A solid block of mass m2 = 8.1 kg, at rest on a horizontal frictionless surface, is connected to a relaxed spring. The other end of the spring is fixed, and the spring constant is k = 230 N/m. Another solid block of mass m1 = 4.0 kg and speed v1 = 5.1 m/s collides with the 8.1 kg block. The blocks stick together, and compress the spring.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm still trying to grasp the concept of energy, as well as laTeX, but I have so far is:
Winitial=Wfinal
##\frac{1}{2} m_1 v_1,i^2 = \frac{1}{2} (m_1+m_2) v_f^2 - \frac{1}{2} kx^2##
where $$v_f= \frac{m_1 v_1i + m_2 v_2i}{m_1+m_2}$$
Solving for vf, I got 3.41 m/s, assuming v2i equals 0 m/s, however, I feel like this is where I'm going wrong.