- #1
BrianSauce
- 17
- 1
Homework Statement
A 1.20 kg object slides to the left on a surface having a coefficient of friction of 0.250. The object has a speed of v_i = 3.00 m/s when it makes contact with a light spring that has a force constant of 60.0 N/m. The object comes to rest (briefly) after the spring has been compressed a distance d. The object is then forced towards the right by the spring and continues to move in that direction beyond the spring's uncompressed position, finally coming to a rest a distance D to the right of the unstretched spring. Find:
A) The distance of compression d.
B) The speed v at which the object is moving when it reaches the uncompressed position of the spring after compressing the spring.
C) The distance D at which the object comes to a rest.
Homework Equations
ΔKE + ΔUg + ΔUe + fkd = Fexternald
The Attempt at a Solution
I split this into two parts. Part I that includes the compression of the spring until the object is at rest, and Part II that includes the part where the object is launched from the compressed spring.
In part one I said that the Kinetic Energy initially is 1/2 mv^2 and the Kinetic Energy final is 0 because the object comes to a rest. The Elastic Potential energy initially is 0 and the Elastic Potential energy is 1/2 k*Δx^2
My energy equation was 1/2mv^2 - μkmgΔx=1/2kΔx^2
I don't know if setting this equation up is correct and I'm not sure if the distance I should use for the frictional force is Δx or some other arbitrary number.