How Do You Calculate the Initial Speed of a Bullet Using Mass and Height?

AI Thread Summary
To calculate the initial speed of a bullet that embeds itself in a block of wood, one must apply the principles of conservation of momentum and energy. First, determine the speed of the block immediately after the bullet embeds itself using momentum conservation. Then, use the height h that the block rises to after the collision to find the initial speed by applying energy conservation principles. The relationship between the mass of the bullet (m), mass of the block (M), and the height (h) will be essential in deriving the formula for the initial speed. This approach effectively combines both momentum and energy conservation to solve the problem.
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Homework Statement


A bullet of mass m is fired into a large block of wood, mass M, suspended by two long cords. The bullet comes to rest in the block so that the system swings upwards, coming to rest after traveling through a vertical distance h.
Find in terms of m, M, and h:
the initial speed of the bullet.


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


Do not know where to start.
 
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Start by using the conservation of momentum to figure out the speed of the block at the bottom of the swing.
 

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