Conservation of Energy problem.

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a bullet colliding with a baseball, where the bullet embeds itself in the baseball. The scenario is set in the context of conservation of momentum and energy, specifically focusing on determining the height the combined mass reaches after the collision.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply conservation of momentum to find the velocity after the collision and expresses uncertainty about how to calculate the height reached afterward. Some participants question the need for time or acceleration to find the height, while others suggest referring to kinematic equations.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different aspects of the problem. There is an acknowledgment of the acceleration due to gravity, but the original poster remains uncertain about how to proceed with finding the height. Guidance has been offered regarding the use of kinematic equations.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the bullet embeds itself in the baseball and are considering the effects of gravitational acceleration on the motion after the collision. There is a lack of explicit information regarding time or other necessary variables for height calculation.

cyspope
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Homework Statement


A 0.030-kg bullet is fired vertically at 200 m/s into a 0.15-kg baseball that is initially at rest. How high does the combined bullet and baseball rise after the collision, assuming the bullet embeds itself in the ball?

Homework Equations


m1v1 + m2v2 = (m1 + m2) v'

The Attempt at a Solution



0.030 kg * 200 m/s + 0.15 kg * 0 m/s = (0.030 kg + 0.15 kg) v' = 6 = 0.18 v'
v' = 33.333 m/s
[tex]\Delta[/tex]p = m(vf-vo) = 0.18 kg (33.333 m/s) = 5.999 = 6 kg * m/s

Ok, this is what I did so far. Even though I know the velocity of the bullet + ball, I don't know how high it went up because I think I need to know the time or acceleration to find x, which is height.

Please help me what to do next.
 
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The acceleration is -9.81 m/s².
 
but I don't know the time.
 
Take a look at the kinematic equations for constant acceleration. One of them will work here.
 

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