Block on slop compressing spring.

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on a physics problem involving a block of mass 20.0 kg released from rest on a frictionless incline at an angle of 30.0°, which compresses a spring by 5.5 cm after moving down the incline. The spring constant was calculated to be 13550 N/m based on a force of 271 N compressing it by 2.0 cm. The user attempted to find the acceleration using the formula ax = mgcos(θ) - mgsin(θ) but struggled with the initial velocity for further calculations. A suggestion was made to utilize energy conservation principles for a more straightforward solution.

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Homework Statement


A spring can be compressed 2.0 cm by a force of 271 N. A block whose mass is 20.0 kg is released from rest at the top of a frictionless incline as shown, the angle of the incline being 30.0°. The block comes to rest momentarily after it has compressed the spring by 5.5 cm. How far has the block moved down the incline at this moment? What is the speed of the block just as it touches the spring?

m = 20kg
[tex]\Theta[/tex]=30

Homework Equations



K = 1/2mv^2
vf^2 = vi^2 -2a(xf-xi)

The Attempt at a Solution



How far has the block moved down the incline at this moment?
First I found K to be 271N/2cm =13550 N/m, but I'm not sure if that matters for anything

ax = mgcos([tex]\Theta[/tex] - mgsin[tex]\Theta[/tex])/m
(20*9.81cos30 - 20*9.81*sin30)/20kg = 3.59 m/s^2

I tried plugging this into vf^2 =vi^2 -2a(xf-xi) but then I realized that I don't have the initial velocity.

I'm very confused, can someone please give me a tip or some advice on what to try. I would try to find the distance to just before the spring, but I don't even know what to do since the only thing i have is the acceleration.

I would greatly appreciate some tips or advice for what I should try. Thanks
 
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Try using energy conservation. That's usually more straightforward than using forces.
 

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