Chapter 8, Problem 57P

A 5.00-g bullet moving with an initial speed of v = 400 m/s is fired into and passes through a 1.00-kg block as shown in Figure P8.57. The block, initially at rest on a frictionless, horizontal surface, is connected to a spring with force constant 900 N/m. The block moves d = 5.00 cm to the right after impact before being brought to rest by the spring. Find (a) the speed at which the bullet emerges from the block and (b) the amount of initial kinetic energy of the bullet that is converted into internal energy in the bullet-block system during the collision.

Figure P8.57