Question

A bullet with a mass 0.05kg is speeding toward a block of mass 10kg. the bullet is initially moving with a velocity of 200m/s while the block is initially at rest....The bullet collides with the block, sticking inside, and knocks the block horizontally of the edge of a cliff. the cliff is 10m tall. how far from the cliff does the block (with bullet inside) land?

Answer 1

Use conservation of linear momentum to get the speed of the block with the bullet inside. Call that speed Vx

m*Vb = (M + m) Vx
M - block mass
m = bullet mass
Vb = bullet speed
Solve for Vx

Use the H = 10 m height of the building to compute the time the block takes to fall. Call that time T.
H = (g/2)T^2
Solve for T

The distance that the block lands away from the cliff if Vx * T