Conservation of Energy and Springs. Block dropped onto a spring

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on a physics problem involving the conservation of energy in a spring system. A 2.7 kg block dropped from a height of 4.5 m compresses a spring by 25 cm, and the goal is to find its speed when the spring is compressed by 15 cm. Participants are trying to determine the spring constant, with one user calculating it as 4026 N/m while another suggests a value around 3000 N/m. There is confusion regarding the height used in energy equations, specifically why 0.1 m is chosen. The conversation highlights the importance of correctly applying energy conservation principles to solve for the block's speed.
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1. Homework Statement [/b
A 2.7 kg block is dropped from rest from a height of 4.5 m above the top of the spring. When the block is momentarily at rest, the spring is compressed by 25.0 cm. What is the speed of the block when the compression of the spring is 15.0 cm?


Homework Equations


PE=mgh
KE=.5mv^2
U(s)=.5kx^2

The Attempt at a Solution



Ok so what I did at first was use PE= U(s) to find the spring constant, which i got to be 4026 N/m (I don't know if this is right, correct me if I'm wrong), after I found that, i used mgh + .5mv^2 = .5kx^2, where h was .1m, and x was .15 since it was compressed .15m. but its wrong. please help!
 
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1) If the v = 7.52 m/s, I would ask how you found k? I* punched few numbers and had different k (~3000)
2)Why you are taking h to be 0.1 m? in mgh + .5mv^2 = .5kx^2
 
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