Finding Mass of part of a block that explodes.

[mhsphysics10]

1.In Fig. 9-59, a stationary block explodes into two pieces L and R that slide across a frictionless floor and then into regions with friction, where they stop. Piece L, with a mass of 2.5 kg, encounters a coefficient of kinetic friction μL = 0.44 and slides to a stop in distance dL = 0.28 m. Piece R encounters a coefficient of kinetic friction μR = 0.43 and slides to a stop in distance dR = 0.30 m. What was the mass of the block?


http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/courses/crs1650/art/qb/qu/c09/fig09_57.gif




2. v²=v₀²+2*a*x-x₀
momentum=m*v




3. I really have no idea where to start on this one, can someone give me a place to go from. somehow i tried to us this
sqrt(mew*g*d*2) to get the velocity for the block on the left, then plugged that into the sum of momentum equation, however when i turned it in i got it wrong

 

[Chewy0087]

do you know the equation for the force of friction relating mass & u?

you know about the conservation of momentum I presume, so if it's stationary at first it has a momentum of 0, so after the collision what must the momentum of the others be equal to?

when you've got this grounded I would consider the equations of motions, with the initial velocity of the block being v, you should have a constant deceleration.