How much force can a 2.5 kg sledge hammer excerpt on a nail if you can swing the hammer at 20 m/s and the hammer contacts the nail for 0.08 seconds?

625 N

Explanation:

The impulse given to the nail is equal to the change in momentum of the hammer:

where

F is the force exerted by the hammer

is the time of contact

is the mass

is the change in velocity of the hammer

Substituting the data and re-arranging the equation, we can find the force:

gravity

explanation:

b. a lightning bug, plug of grass, and a worm