Center of Mass: Boat and regular pentagon

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around two problems related to the center of mass. In the first problem, a group of people with a total mass of 1500kg walks 6.5m on a 20,000kg boat, requiring the calculation of how much the boat moves, with the understanding that the center of mass remains unchanged due to no external forces. The second problem involves finding the center of mass of a regular pentagon after removing a triangle formed by its geometric center and two vertices, with the solution suggesting the use of four equal triangles to determine the new center of mass. The key takeaway is that both problems emphasize the principles of center of mass and the effects of internal movements on a system's overall balance. Understanding these concepts is crucial for solving the presented problems effectively.
Fattyman
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Six problems due Monday, and I have no idea what I'm doing on either of these.

Problem 1:

Homework Statement



A group of people has a total mass of 1500kg and are standing on one end of a 20,000kg boat. They walk 6.5m to the other end of the boat. How much does the boat move? The water is frictionless.

Homework Equations



rcom = (1/M)*\int(r)dm

The Attempt at a Solution



I really have no idea where to begin, let alone how to try to solve it.

Problem 2:

Homework Statement



A regular pentagon has sides of length a. Find the center of mass if you remove the triangle formed by the geometric center and the two vertices on the bottom of the pentagon.

Homework Equations



rcom = (1/M)\int(r)dm

The Attempt at a Solution



The book says to split the rest of the pentagon into four equal triangles, and I found the center of mass of the removed triangle. Since the five triangles that make up the pentagon are the same, their centers of mass should be the same distance from the geometric center of the pentagon, which I'm using as the origin.
Also, the book says the answer to this one is ".115a above the vertex of the removed triangle."
 
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For the first question the center of mass of the boat and people must remain the same since there are no outside forces. So first of all find the center of mass with the people standing on one end then shift them over to the other end and find the center of mass again, the difference between the two is the distance the boat would have to move to keep the center of mass in the same spot.

For the second one you have four triangles and you know the center of mass of each one, so you essentially have just four point masses and you need to find the center of mass of those.
 
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