Question

The 45-g arrow is launched so that it hits and embeds in a 1.40 kg block. The block hangs from strings. After the arrow joins the block, they swing up so that they are 0.40 m higher than the block's starting point.

Answer 1

Question: How fast was the arrow moving before it joined the block?

Answer:

The arrow was moving at 15.9 m/s.

Explanation:

The law of conservation of energy says that the kinetic energy of the arrow must be converted into the potential energy of the block and arrow after it they join:

$\dfrac{1}{2}m_av^2 = (m_b+m_a)\Delta Hg$

where $m_a$ is the mass of the arrow, $m_b$ is the mass of the block, $\Delta H$ of the change in height of the block after the collision, and $v$ is the velocity of the arrow before it hit the block.

Solving for the velocity $v$, we get:

$v = \sqrt{\frac{2(m_b+m_a)\Delta Hg}{m_a} }$

and we put in the numerical values

$m_a = 0.045kg$,

$m_b = 1.40kg,$

$\Delta H = 0.4m,$

$g= 9.8m/s^2$

and simplify to get:

$\boxed{ v= 15.9m/s}$

The arrow was moving at 15.9 m/s