Calculate Initial Bullet Speed in SHM with Block-Spring System

AI Thread Summary
A student encountered difficulty calculating the initial speed of a bullet fired into a block-spring system undergoing simple harmonic motion (SHM). The problem involved a 5.4 g bullet and a 0.50 kg block, with the system's frequency at 9.5 Hz and an amplitude of 15 cm. Initially, the student used an incorrect equation for displacement and derived a bullet speed of 14.6 m/s, which was incorrect. Upon realizing the mistake, the student acknowledged the need to use the differential of the displacement function for accurate calculations. The discussion highlights the importance of selecting the correct equations in physics problems.
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My teacher set us a bunch of pendulum/SHM questions, and I managed to crack them all except for this one which has been bothering me:

"A 5.4 g bullet is fired horizontally into a 0.50 kg block of wood resting on a frictionless table. The block, which is attached to a horizontal spring, retains the bullet and moves forward, compressing the spring. The block-spring system goes into SHM with a frequency of 9.5 Hz and an amplitude of 15 cm. Determine the initial speed of the bullet."

I found the following diagram to help me calculate my answer but I came up with the wrong answer.

shm.gif


Here's what I did:

Displacement (y) = Amplitude (A) x sin (Angular Frequency [w] x Time [t])
y = 0.15 x sin ([2 x Π x f] x [1 / f])
y = 0.15 x sin (59.7 x 0.105)
y = 0.15 x 0.109
y = 0.0164
So in time 0.105 seconds the block w/ spring moved 0.0164 metres which is equivalent to 0.156ms^-1.

I then plugged this value into the motion equation m1v2 = m2v2 and got the following:

0.0054u = 0.5054v
v = 0.156
0.0054u = 0.5054 x 0.156
0.0054u = 0.079
u = 14.6ms^-1

I tried submitting this answer but it was wrong...can someone please help me out!
 
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EDIT: OK I just solved it, I realized I was using the wrong equation, I should have been using the differential of the y displacement function. Thanks anyway.
 
Sometimes the universe do listen to our problems and have pity on us.
 
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