A bullet of mass 13 g strikes a ballistic pendulum of mass 1.7 kg. The center of mass of the pendulum rises a vertical distance of 11 cm. Assuming that the bullet remains embedded in the pendulum, calculate the bullet’s initial speed. Round your answer off to one place after the decimal.

Answer 1

the PE at the top of the swing is mgh = (1.7+0.013)*9.81*0.11 = 1.848J
so, that must have been equal to the bullet's KE: 1/2 mv^2 = 1.848