Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Rolling, Torque, and Angular Momentum: Problem 60_M

In Fig. 11.31, a 1.0 g bullet is fired into a 0.50 kg block attached to the end of a 0.60 m nonuniform rod of mass 0.50 kg. The block–rod–bullet system then rotates in the plane of the figure, about a fixed axis at A. The rotational inertia of the rod alone about that axis at A is $0.060 \text{ kg} \cdot \text{m}^2$. Treat the block as a particle. (a) What then is the rotational inertia of the block–rod–bullet system about point A? (b) If the angular speed of the system about A just after impact is 4.5 rad/s, what is the bullet’s speed just before impact?