Question

A cleaver physics professor wants to create a situation where a block starts from rest at the top of a 31.0° inclined plane and encounters a spring at the bottom of the incline. The spring has a constant 3.4 kN/m and the block's mass is 33.0 kg. How far does the block travel before hitting the spring, if the spring was compressed 37 cm in it's initial collision?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the length of inclined plane be L .

work done by gravity on the block

= force x length of path

= mg sinθ x L , m is mass of the block , θ is inclination of path

This in converted into potential energy of compressed spring

1/2 k x² = mgL sin31 , k is force constant . x is compression

.5 x 3400 x .37² = 33 x9.8 x sin31 L

L = 1.4

Length of incline = 1.4 m .