Did you know?
Did you know that the velocity with which a stone leaves a catapult can be calculated using the concept of Hooke's Law? Hooke's Law states that the force required to stretch or compress a spring or rubber is directly proportional to the displacement. In this case, the first constant of the rubber is provided as 200 N/m.
By applying Hooke's Law, the force (F) can be calculated by multiplying the constant (k) with the displacement (x). In this scenario, x is given as 4 cm (0.04 m). So, F = k * x = 200 N/m * 0.04 m = 8 N.
Velocity (v) can be obtained by using the equation v = √(2 * F / m), where m is the mass of the stone. Here, the mass is given as 20 g (0.02 kg). Plugging in these values, v = √(2 * 8N / 0.02kg) ≈ √(800) ≈ 28.28 m/s.
Therefore, the stone will leave the catapult with an approximate velocity of 28.28 m/s.
