Ballistic Pendulum: Calculating Bullet Speed
A ballistic pendulum experiment is performed to determine the initial speed of a bullet. A bullet of mass \(m_b = 0.020\,\text{kg}\) is fired horizontally into a stationary pendulum bob of mass \(m_p = 2.0\,\text{kg}\) suspended from a string. The bullet embeds itself completely inside the bob. Immediately after the collision, the combined system swings upward, […]