Help with a mechanical energy exercise

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on solving a mechanical energy problem involving a spring cannon shooting a marble from a platform. The key points include determining the mechanical energy of the ball, the spring constant "k," and the distance the ball would travel with increased spring compression. The user attempts to apply the conservation of energy principle but struggles with two unknowns: velocity and the spring constant. A suggestion is made to calculate the ball's speed using its horizontal and vertical motion to progress further in the solution. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the energy transformations involved in the scenario.
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Homework Statement



A spring cannon is used to shot horizontally a marble mall, whose mass is 75g, from a platform located 1.2 m from the ground. If the spring compression is 25 mm, the ball hits the ground 4,2m from the base of the platform. Not taking friction into account, determine:
1-the mechanical energy of the ball during the motion
2-the "k" constant factor of the spring
3-how far the ball would hit the ground if the compression were 37mm.


The Attempt at a Solution



With no friction, i can use the principle of conservation of energy

I want to compute the mechanical energy for the top of the platform.
##E_i=E_f## ##\Rightarrow## ##U_i+K_i=U_f+K_f##
But ##K_i = 0## because the ball is not moving yet, and ##U_f=0## So,
##U_i-K_f=E## ##\Rightarrow## ##E=\frac{1}{2} k x^2 - \frac{1}{2} m v^2##

However, I keep having two variables: velocity and k, and I don't know how to find the value of any of the two, even using other formulas. Can anyone give me a hint?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
When the ball leaves the platform, you know the distance it moves in the x- and y-directions.
So you can work out its speed at this point.
That will help you with the rest of the problem.
 
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