Explanation:
We start by using the conservation law of energy:
or
Simplifying the above equation, we get
We can rewrite this as
Note that the expression inside the parenthesis is simply the acceleration due to gravity so we can write
where is the launch velocity.
In order to determine the acceleration of the block, use the following formula:
Moreover, remind that for an object attached to a spring the magnitude of the force acting over a mass is given by:
Then, you have:
by solving for a, you obtain:
In this case, you have:
k: spring constant = 100N/m
m: mass of the block = 200g = 0.2kg
x: distance related to the equilibrium position = 14cm - 12cm = 2cm = 0.02m
Replace the previous values of the parameters into the expression for a:
Hence, the acceleration of the block is 10 m/s^2