Find the magnitude of the force that stops the bullet

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a bullet's motion and its interaction with a tree trunk, specifically focusing on the concepts of work, energy, and kinematics. The original poster seeks to understand how to calculate the force that stops the bullet and the time it takes for the bullet to come to a stop.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss applying the work-energy theorem to find the force, with one participant providing a calculation involving unit conversion. Another participant expresses confusion regarding the significance of the "depth" in the problem.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered calculations and insights into the problem, particularly regarding the force calculation. However, there is no explicit consensus on the overall approach to the time calculation, and the discussion reflects ongoing exploration of the concepts involved.

Contextual Notes

The original poster mentions known answers for the force and time, which may influence the discussion but are not being directly addressed in the problem-solving process.

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HELP Please!

Ok, I am totally lost on how to solve this problem: A 5 g bullet moving at 600 m/s penetrates a tree trunk to a depth of 4 cm.
a. use work and energy considerations to find the magnitude of the force that stops the bullet
b. assuming that the frictional force is constant, determine how much time elapses between the moment the bullet enters the tree trunk and the moment the bullet stops moving.

I know the answers are 2.25*10^4 N, and 1.33*10^4 s, but I have no idea how to get them
 
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a) Using the work energy theorem we get taht...
* remember to convert the units

[tex] \frac{1}{2}(0.005)(600)^2 = F(0.04)[/tex]

Solving for F gives 22500N
 
Thanks, I really was lost because of the "depth" part.
 
b)

m = 0.005
F = 22500N

a = F/m
a = (v-u)/t

that gives
t = (v-u)/a

v = 0
u = 600

so.. i found that:
t = 0.000133333333

So you see :)
 

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