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In the figure below, a 4.0 g bullet is fired into a 0.80 kg block attached to th

ID: 1505614 • Letter: I

Question

In the figure below, a 4.0 g bullet is fired into a 0.80 kg block attached to the end of a 0.60 m nonuniform rod of mass 0.50 kg. The block-rod-bullet system then rotates in the plane of the figure about a fixed axis at A. The rotational inertia of the rod alone about that axis at A is 0.060 kg middot m^2. Treat the block as a particle. What then is the rotational inertia of the block-rod-bullet system about points? kg middot m^2 If the angular speed of the system about A just after impact is 4.5 rad/s, what is the bullet's speed just before impact?

Explanation / Answer

a)

L = length of rod = 0.6 m

Irod = 0.06 kgm2

Ibullet = mb L2 = (0.004) (0.6)2 = 0.00144 kgm2

Iblock = mblock L2 = 0.80 (0.6)2 = 0.288

Total moment of inertia of system = Isys = Irod + Ibullet + Iblock = 0.06 + 0.00144 + 0.288 = 0.35 kgm2

b)

using conservation of angular momentum

mb v L = Isys W

(0.004) v (0.60) = 0.35 (4.5)

v = 656.25 m/s