- #1
Ry122
- 565
- 2
Homework Statement
A bullet leaves the muzzle of a rifle at an unknown velocity and strikes a wooden block that is suspended by a piece of string.
If the block swings backwards to make an angle of 40 degrees, at what velocity must have the bullet been traveling when it struck the block?
mass of the bullet and the wood are, respectively, m=0.05 kg and M=2 kg, and the length of the string is L=1 m. Theta = 40 degrees
[PLAIN]http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/5295/bullet.jpg
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
The block is given kinetic energy equal to the kinetic energy the bullet had.
Since the block experiences no friction, all of this kinetic energy is used up by moving against gravity.
s and f can be determined and so the energy can be calculated
with f x s = energy
Then use (1/2)mv^2 = energy to calculate the speed of the bullet
The problem is that I'm unsure how to calculate s. How can this be done? (s = vertical displacement of the block)
Last edited by a moderator: