A bullet of mass 0.010 kg is fired with a speed of 400 m/s
PHYSICS · Multi-part · GCSE · Physics · Energy · Energy
Problem
A bullet of mass 0.010 kg is fired with a speed of 400 m/s. A cricket ball of mass 0.16 kg is hit by a bat and moves with a speed of 20 m/s.
(a) Calculate the kinetic energy of the bullet and the ball separately.
(b) State which object possesses greater kinetic energy and by what factor their energies differ.
(c) The bullet is brought to rest by a wooden plank over a distance of 0.020 m. Assuming the retarding force on the bullet is constant, determine the magnitude of this force.
(d) Using your numerical results, explain why a bullet is far more dangerous than a cricket ball even though its mass is much smaller.