Proposed Exercise: Work-Energy Theorem
In the situation illustrated in the figure below, a 365 pile hammer is used to bury a beam. The hammer is raised to a height of 3.0 (point 1) above the beam (point 2) and released from rest, sinking the beam of 7.4 (point 3). The rails exert on the hammer a constant friction force equal to 54 . Using the work-energy theorem, calculate (a) the speed of the hammer at the exact instant it reaches point 2 and (b) the mean force exerted by the hammer on the beam when moving it from position 2 to 3.
Tip: the force requested in item (b) is equal to the normal force that the beam exerts on
the hammer.