Answer to Question #121643 in Physics for Amanda

Question

A spring-powered launcher has a spring with a spring constant of 150 N/cm. The launcher is prepared to launch a projectile by compressing the spring by 5.00 cm. If the mass of the projectile is 50.0 grams, then what is the velocity of the projectile when it is launched vertically from the launcher?

Answer 1

Assume that energy is conserved:

$$\frac{kx^2}{2}=\frac{mv^2}{2},\\\space\\ v=x\sqrt{\frac{k}{m}}=27\text{ m/s}.$$