A hammer of mass 500 g, moving at 50 m/s, strikes a nail. The nail stops the hammer in a very short time of 0.01 s. What is the force of the nail on the hammer?

Given, mass of the hammer (m) = 500 g = 0.5 kg

Initial velocity of the hammer (u) = 50 m/s

Terminal velocity of the hammer (v) = 0
{the hammer is stopped and reaches a position of rest} .

Time period (t) = 0.01 s

\(\because \) the acceleration of hammer,
\(\therefore a = \frac{v-u}{t} = \frac{0-50}{0.01} \ \)
\( \Rightarrow \ a = -5000 \ m/s^2 \)

Therefore, the force exerted by the hammer on the nail
\(\because\) (F) = ma

\(\Rightarrow \) F = (0.5) × (-5000) = -2500 N