Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Center of Mass and Linear Momentum: Problem 44

44 In Fig. 9-49, a stationary block explodes into two pieces L and R that slide across a frictionless floor and then into regions with friction, where they stop. Piece L, with a mass of 2.0 kg, encounters a coefficient of kinetic friction \(\mu_L = 0.35\) and slides to a stop in distance \(d_L = 0.15 \text{ m}\). Piece R encounters a coefficient of kinetic friction \(\mu_R = 0.50\) and slides to a stop in distance \(d_R = 0.30 \text{ m}\). What was the mass of the block?