A strings. A 50 gram bullet, traveling horzontally, strikes the block and becomes embedded inside the block. Immediately after the bullet becomes embedded in the block, the block is observed to have a speed of 8.0 m/s. What was the speed of the bullet before it hit the block?

u = 200 m/s

Explanation:

Given that

Mass of bullet, m = 50 gm

Assume that mass of block, M = 1.2 kg

Lets take speed of the bullet before collision = u m/s

The speed of the system after collision, v = 8 m/s

There is no any external force, that is why linear momentum of the system will be conserve.

Linear momentum, P = mass x velocity

m u = (M+m) v

0.05 x u = (1.2 + 0.05) x 8

u = 200 m/s

Therefore the speed of the bullet just before the collision is 200 m/s.