Center of Mass: Boat and regular pentagon

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on two physics problems involving the center of mass. The first problem involves a group of people with a total mass of 1500kg walking 6.5m on a 20,000kg boat in a frictionless environment, requiring the calculation of the boat's movement to maintain the center of mass. The second problem addresses finding the center of mass of a regular pentagon after removing a triangle formed by its geometric center and two vertices, with the solution indicating the center of mass is ".115a above the vertex of the removed triangle." Both problems utilize the equation rcom = (1/M)*∫(r)dm for calculations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of center of mass concepts
  • Familiarity with integral calculus
  • Knowledge of geometric properties of regular polygons
  • Experience with physics problems involving mass distribution
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the application of the center of mass in dynamic systems
  • Learn about frictionless environments and their implications in physics
  • Explore the geometric properties of regular polygons and their centers of mass
  • Practice solving problems involving integrals in physics contexts
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, particularly those studying mechanics, as well as educators and tutors looking to enhance their understanding of center of mass calculations in various scenarios.

Fattyman
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
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."
 
Physics news on Phys.org
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.
 

Similar threads

Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
7K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
8K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
8K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
14K