Boat-man problem, velocity of center of mass

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem involving the motion of a man in a boat, specifically analyzing the velocities and distances traveled by both the man and the boat while considering the center of mass. The subject area includes concepts from mechanics and kinematics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the distance the boat travels while the man moves, using the center of mass velocity. Some participants question the choice of reference frame and suggest using a different approach to simplify the problem.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem setup. There is an acknowledgment of a potential discrepancy between the original poster's calculations and the book's solution, but no consensus has been reached regarding the correctness of either.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the late hour and the original poster's intention to revisit the problem after some rest, indicating a collaborative approach to resolving the misunderstanding.

Dansuer
Messages
81
Reaction score
1

Homework Statement



A man of mass 84.4 Kg is in the back of a boat of mass 425 kg which is moving without friction on ice with velocity 4.16 m/s. the man moves from the back to the top of the boat with velocity 2.08 m/s traveling for 18.2m. How much distance does the boat travel while the man moves?

Homework Equations



v_{cm} = (v_{1}m_{1} + v_{2}m_{2})/(m_{1}+m_{2})

The Attempt at a Solution



The way i try to solve this was that i put V_{cm} = 0 because i choose a coordinate system with velocity V_{cm}. The equation on top gives the velocity of the boat to be 0.41 m/s. Subtract this to the velocity of the boat relative to the ice gives v=3.7 m/s
Now i calculated the distance travelled: 18.2 : 2.08 = x : 3.7 which is 32.37

but it's not the same results as the book gives as a solution. What did i do wrong?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
why are you taking the frame at velocity of CM. take frame at v=0
then you don't need to find the relative speeds, just use them as given
 
You're right i could've done that. But the answer to the problem does not change. And it's not the same as the book. Is the book wrong or i am ?
 
I need to sleep now ... its 3AM here ...

But you can post your answer and i'll tell you your mistake as soon as i wake up.
will that work?
 
of course, no hurry:smile:

You can find my answer in the point 3 of my first post

thanks
 

Similar threads

Replies
15
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
31
Views
2K
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
7K
Replies
11
Views
4K
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K