Serway & Jewett — Energy of a System: Problem 44.

Why is the following situation impossible? In a new casino, a supersized pinball machine is introduced. Casino advertising boasts that a professional basketball player can lie on top of the machine and his head and feet will not hang off the edge! The ball launcher in the machine sends metal balls up one side of the machine and then into play. The spring in the launcher (Fig. P7.44) has a force constant of 1.20 N/cm. The surface on which the ball moves is inclined \(\theta = 10.0^\circ\) with respect to the horizontal. The spring is initially compressed its maximum distance \(d = 5.00 \text{ cm}\). A ball of mass 100 g is projected into play by releasing the plunger. Casino visitors find the play of the giant machine quite exciting.