A bullet of mass is fired horizontally with a speed of into a wooden block of mass…
PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Work, Energy and Power · Work, Energy and Power
Problem
A bullet of mass 20g is fired horizontally with a speed of 300ms−1 into a wooden block of mass 4.0kg suspended by a light, inextensible thread 2.0m long. The bullet becomes completely embedded in the block.
(i) Calculate the speed of the bullet–block system immediately after the impact.
(ii) Using the answer of part (i), determine the maximum vertical rise of the centre of mass of the system above its initial position.
(iii) Find the loss of kinetic energy of the system during the impact and express it as a percentage of the bullet’s initial kinetic energy.