Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

A bullet of mass m = 26 g is fired into a wooden block of mass M = 4.4 kg as sho

ID: 2192189 • Letter: A

Question

A bullet of mass m = 26 g is fired into a wooden block of mass M = 4.4 kg as shown in the figure below. The block is attached to a string of length 1.5 m. The bullet is embedded in the block, causing the block to then swing as shown in the figure. If the block reaches a maximum height of h = 0.25 m, what was the initial speed of the bullet? in M/s

A bullet of mass m = 26 g is fired into a wooden block of mass M = 4.4 kg as shown in the figure below. The block is attached to a string of length 1.5 m. The bullet is embedded in the block, causing the block to then swing as shown in the figure. If the block reaches a maximum height of h = 0.25 m, what was the initial speed of the bullet? in M/s

Explanation / Answer

Loss in Kinetic Energy = Gain in Potential Energy

Let the Initial Velocity of Bullet = V m/sec

0.5*m*V^2 = (M+m)gh

0.5*26*10^-3*V^2 = (4.4 + 26*10^-3)*9.8*0.25

V = 28.88 m/sec