Bullet Block Spring physics demo

Zariga Tongy · Intermediate ·🔍 RAG & Vector Search ·3mo ago

About this lesson

https://8gwifi.org/physics/labs/bullet-block.jsp Bullet–Block–Spring A bullet is fired into a wooden block on a spring. Depending on the bullet's energy vs the block's stopping power, the bullet either embeds or passes through. Embed vs Pass-Through The block exerts a resistive force F over its thickness d. The work to stop the bullet is W = F × d. Counterintuitive: A pass-through transfers LESS momentum to the block than embedding. The block moves less, compresses the spring less. This is why hollow-point bullets (designed to embed) are more effective at transferring energy to the target. Physics — Embed v₁ = m·v₀ / (m + M) — all bullet momentum to block+bullet ΔKE = ½m·v₀²·M/(m+M) — energy lost to deformation/heat Physics — Pass-Through v_exit = √(v₀² − 2Fd/m) — bullet exits with reduced speed Δp = m·(v₀ − v_exit) — momentum transferred to block v_block = Δp / M — block velocity (less than embed case!) Spring Mass Correction The spring's own mass adds mₛ/3 to the effective inertial mass (from integrating KE of spring coils). Note: the spring is anchored to the wall, so its weight does NOT press the block against the surface — only the block (and embedded bullet) weight contributes to friction. Period: T = 2π√(m_eff/k). Try These Default (embeds): 99.5% of energy lost. Tiny block motion. Pass-Through (thin block): Bullet exits! Block moves even less than embed — surprising! Pass-Through (fast bullet): High-speed bullet barely slows down. Almost no momentum transfer. Barely Embeds: Right at the KE = F×d boundary. Small change in speed flips the outcome. Before impact: The sim predicts "will EMBED" or "will PASS THROUGH" before the bullet arrives. Phase plot: Embed spirals inward. Pass-through gives a much smaller spiral. Why Embedding Transfers More Momentum When the bullet embeds, ALL its momentum (mv₀) goes to the block+bullet system. When it passes through, it keeps some momentum (mv_exit), so the block only receives m(v₀ − v_exit). A faster bullet that

Original Description

https://8gwifi.org/physics/labs/bullet-block.jsp Bullet–Block–Spring A bullet is fired into a wooden block on a spring. Depending on the bullet's energy vs the block's stopping power, the bullet either embeds or passes through. Embed vs Pass-Through The block exerts a resistive force F over its thickness d. The work to stop the bullet is W = F × d. Counterintuitive: A pass-through transfers LESS momentum to the block than embedding. The block moves less, compresses the spring less. This is why hollow-point bullets (designed to embed) are more effective at transferring energy to the target. Physics — Embed v₁ = m·v₀ / (m + M) — all bullet momentum to block+bullet ΔKE = ½m·v₀²·M/(m+M) — energy lost to deformation/heat Physics — Pass-Through v_exit = √(v₀² − 2Fd/m) — bullet exits with reduced speed Δp = m·(v₀ − v_exit) — momentum transferred to block v_block = Δp / M — block velocity (less than embed case!) Spring Mass Correction The spring's own mass adds mₛ/3 to the effective inertial mass (from integrating KE of spring coils). Note: the spring is anchored to the wall, so its weight does NOT press the block against the surface — only the block (and embedded bullet) weight contributes to friction. Period: T = 2π√(m_eff/k). Try These Default (embeds): 99.5% of energy lost. Tiny block motion. Pass-Through (thin block): Bullet exits! Block moves even less than embed — surprising! Pass-Through (fast bullet): High-speed bullet barely slows down. Almost no momentum transfer. Barely Embeds: Right at the KE = F×d boundary. Small change in speed flips the outcome. Before impact: The sim predicts "will EMBED" or "will PASS THROUGH" before the bullet arrives. Phase plot: Embed spirals inward. Pass-through gives a much smaller spiral. Why Embedding Transfers More Momentum When the bullet embeds, ALL its momentum (mv₀) goes to the block+bullet system. When it passes through, it keeps some momentum (mv_exit), so the block only receives m(v₀ − v_exit). A faster bullet that

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