A 0.0160-kg bullet traveling horizontally at 396 m/s strikes a 3.95-kg block of wood sitting at the edge of a table. The bullet is lodged into the wood. If the table height is 1.06 m, how far from the table does the block hit the floor?

Answer 1

I had thought that to do this, you'd add the momentum of the two and set it equal the combined mass to find the velocity.

.0160(396)+3.95(0)=3.966(V)
V=1.59m/s

Then I set up a triangle to try to find the distance from the table and used V as the c value in the pythagorean theorem.

1.06^2+x^2=1.59^2
x=1.19m

But the book says that isn't correct. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 2

yes, you mixed up your units. you divided the sqrt of a velocity and a height expecting to get a height.