Homework Help: physics

Posted by HELP!!! on Friday, November 30, 2012 at 5:51pm.

A 0.330-kg block of wood rests on a horizontal frictionless surface and is attached to a spring (also horizontal) with a 29.5-N/m force constant that is at its equilibrium length. A 0.0600-kg wad of Play-Doh is thrown horizontally at the block with a speed of 3.00 m/s and sticks to it. Determine the amount by which the Play-Doh–block system compresses the spring?

i used conservation of energy and got 13.53 cm and its wrong.

physics - Gene, Friday, November 30, 2012 at 7:33pm
Before applying conservation of energy law, you have to evaluate the speed of the block+wad system by applying conservation of impulse law:

m(block+wad)*V = m(wad)*V(wad)

So, find V and then use it in conservation of energy law (keep in mind that the the kinetic energy of block+wad system should be calculated using total mass (block+wad) and above evaluated speed V.

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