A rubber bullet of mass m is fired from a rifle into a stationary block of 25 m The bullet remains in the block and both the bullet and the block move off with a common velocity. Assume this is an inelastic collision in a closed system. Which best describes the final momentum of the bullet/block?

Because the collision occurs in a closed system, total momentum is conserved. The block starts at rest, so the initial total momentum is just the bullet’s momentum, m times its velocity. After the bullet sticks in the block, the combined bullet-and-block move together with momentum equal to that same initial momentum. Thus, choice C is correct.

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