A 1150 Kg wrecking ball is released from a height 13.0 meters above its resting point and hits a wall at the lowest point of its swing. If the ball makes a .5 meter indentation in the wall, what is the average force the ball applies to the wall? (Hint - Assume that all of the ball's kinetic energy is used to do work on the wall.)

Question

A 1150 Kg wrecking ball is released from a height 13.0 meters above its resting point and hits a wall at the lowest point of its swing.  If the ball makes a .5 meter indentation in the wall, what is the average force the ball applies to the wall? (Hint - Assume that all of the ball's kinetic energy is used to do work on the wall.)

Anonymous · Answer

Ke = Pe lost = m g h = 1150 * 9.81 * 13 Joules = Force * distance so Force = 1150 * 9.81 * 13 Joules / 0.5 meters