Question

a 3.0-g bullet traveling at 350-m/s hits a tree and slows down ununiformly to a stop while penetrating a distance of 12-cm into the trees trunk. what was the force exerted on the bullet to bring it to a rest?

Answer 1

Force x (penetration distance) = inital kinetic energy = (1/2) M V^2.

Convert m to kg and the penetration distance to meters before doing the calculation, to get the force in Newtons.

Answer 2

183.75J