The discussion revolves around a problem involving a block colliding with a spring on a frictionless surface. The original poster mentions knowing the mass of the block, its velocity upon contact with the spring, and the spring constant, but is uncertain about the relevant equations to determine the maximum compression of the spring.
The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring various interpretations of the problem setup. Some have offered insights into conservation principles, while others have requested more information to clarify the scenario. There is no explicit consensus on the details of the problem or the correct approach yet.
There is a mention of two masses and their interaction with the spring, which raises questions about the specifics of the collision and whether the problem involves a single mass or two masses colliding inelastically. The original poster is encouraged to provide a complete description of the problem for better assistance.
There's only one block and a spring. (At least, that's what I presume. If not, please state the full problem.) Momentum is not conserved, but something else is.bkhofmann said:Momentum is conserved since there is no friction, the blocks would fly off at the same speed.
Please get in the habit of describing the complete problem, otherwise we are forced to guess what the issue is. So, I'm guessing, the problem is two masses colliding with a spring between them? (Which is quite different from a mass colliding with a fixed spring.) In that case both momentum and mechanical energy are conserved. (Not just kinetic energy, but spring potential energy as well.)bkhofmann said:There were two but they are now "perfecly inelastically together. (is there is such a term) and I know the velocity of that new mass. Kinetic Energy is conserved?