Question

In compressing the spring in a toy dart gun, 0.5 J of work is done.
When the gun is fired, the spring gives its potential energy to a dart with a mass of
0.02 kg.
(a) What is the dart’s kinetic energy as it leaves the gun?
(b) What is the dart speed?

Answer 1

(a) The work W done compressing the spring becomes stored potential energy. When the spring is decompressed the same amount of energy be

Answer 2

becomes kinetic energy.
(b) Use the definition and value of kinetic energy to compute V