Question

1. Consider the ballistic pendulum diagram shown in the introduction. You may assume that there is no friction or air resistance. After the ball hits and lodges inside the pendulum, and while it is freely swinging, would you expect energy to be conserved in the ball-pendulum system? If yes, write the relevant equation for the conservation of energy here. Define all variables through a labeled diagram. Note that for this and all subsequent questions, you don’t need to solve the equations for anything: just set them up.

2. Now consider the period in time after the ball is shot from the gun, but before it collides with the pendulum. If the pendulum is close enough to the gun we can assume the ball has only a horizontal velocity when it impacts it. Would you expect momentum to be conserved directly before and after the collision of the ball with the pendulum? If so, write the relevant equation for the conservation of momentum here. Define all variables through a labeled diagram.

3. Say that we move the pendulum out of the way so that we can shoot the ball across the room. Sketch the expected trajectory of the ball here, and write Newton’s 2nd Law in each direction (x and y, for instance).

Answer 1

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