Final answer:
To calculate the initial recoil velocity of the spring system, you can use the law of conservation of momentum.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the initial recoil velocity of the spring system, we can use the law of conservation of momentum. According to this law, the total momentum before and after the interaction remains constant.
In this case, the initial momentum of the system is given by the momentum of the plunger and the bullet. The momentum of the plunger can be calculated using the equation:
Initial momentum of plunger = mass of plunger * recoil velocity of plunger
The momentum of the bullet can be calculated using the equation:
Initial momentum of bullet = mass of bullet * velocity of bullet
Since the total momentum before and after the interaction is constant, we can equate the initial momentum of the system to the final momentum of the system and solve for the recoil velocity of the plunger.