Question

A 0.300-kg block along a horizontal track has a speed of 1.20 m/s immediately before colliding with a light spring of force constant 4.40 N/m located at the end of the track. (a) What is the spring's maximum compression if the track is frictionless?

Answer 1

x = 0.3 m

Step-by-step explanation:

mass of block (Mb) = 0.3 kg

velocity of the block (v) = 1.2 m/s

force constant of the spring (k) = 4.4 N/m

from the conservation of energy

the initial kinetic energy of the block = the final spring energy

`0.5mv^(2) = 0.5 kx^(2)`

m
`v^(2) = kx^(2)`

x = v x
`\sqrt{(m)/(k) }`

x = 1.2 x
`\sqrt{(0.3)/(4.4) }`

x = 0.3 m