INTRODUCTION: A device called a ballistic pendulum will be used in this experiment to determine the initial speed of a projectile. The device consists of a spring gun that propels a metal ball of mass m into a pendulum bob of mass M. This pendulum-ball combination then swings up onto a rack with a speed V just after impact. The change in height through which it rises depends directly on ∆h the initial speed vo of the ball. m vo M V hf hi hi Just Just Motionless, before after at maximum impact impact height Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 From the law of conservation of momentum, with Figure 1 as the initial state and Figure 2 as the final state, mvo = (m + M)V, so m + M
INTRODUCTION: A device called a ballistic pendulum will be used in this experiment to determine the initial speed of a projectile. The device consists of a spring gun that propels a metal ball of mass m into a pendulum bob of mass M. This pendulum-ball combination then swings up onto a rack with a speed V just after impact. The change in height ∆h through which it rises depends directly on the initial speed vo of the ball. m vo M V hf hi hi Just Just Motionless, before after at maximum impact impact height Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 From the law of conservation of momentum, with Figure 1 as the initial state and Figure 2 as the final state, mvo = (m + M)V, so m + M