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Inertialforce
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Homework Statement
A camper let fall a heavy mallet of mass "M" from a height y upon the top of a tent stake of mass "m" and drives it into the ground a distance d. Find the resistance of the ground (f), assuming it to be constant and the stake and the mallet to stay together upon impact.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
For this question I know that it asks me to find what the resistance force (f) is and I know that I can find it out by figuring out what the total force acting downward would be because (according to Newton's laws), total force downward must equal the total force upward or in other words, the force of the stake and mallet combination acting downward must equal the resistance force (f) acting upward.
However I do not know exactly how or where (with what equations) I should start my calculations, as all the values given to me are letters.