Bullet and Block

Abbas fires a \({{ params.m_bullet }} \rm{g}\) bullet into a \({{ params.m_block }} \rm{kg}\) block of wood that is initially at rest on a table.

The block, with the bullet embedded in it, slides across the table horizontally a distance of \({{ params.slide_d }} \rm{cm}\). The coefficient of kinetic friction between the table and the block is \({{ params.coeff_k }}\).

Hint: Remember to convert things from \(\rm{cm}\) to \(\rm{m}\).

Part 1

What is the bullet’s initial speed before it hits the block?

Answer Section

Please enter in a numeric value in \(\rm{m/s}\).

Part 2

Abbas decides to repeat the experiment with a new block of wood, using the same bullet and table. Unfortunately, Abbas does not have a weighing scale and does not know the mass of the new block, but, because they took an undergraduate physics course, they know they can figure it out if they have the initial velocity of the bullet. They happen to have a ballistic chronograph that can capture the velocity of a fast moving bullet. Just before it collides with the block, the bullet’s velocity is \({{ params.bullet_v }} \rm{m/s}\).

What is the mass of the new block if it slides \({{ params.slide_dnew }} \rm{cm}\)?

Answer Section

Please enter in a numeric value in \(\rm{kg}\).

Attribution

Problem is licensed under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.