Distance Homework: Find the Distance Travelled by Starship

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AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the distance a Federation starship moves while pulling a shuttlecraft using a tractor beam. The starship has a mass of 1.90×10^6 kg, and the shuttlecraft weighs 2.00×10^4 kg, with the tractor beam exerting a constant force of 4.0 x 10^4 N. Participants highlight the importance of determining the center of mass for the two-ship system, noting that it affects how far each ship moves when the tractor beam is activated. The concept of action and reaction is emphasized, suggesting that the distance each ship travels is influenced by their initial positions before the tractor beam is engaged. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for solving the problem accurately.
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Homework Statement



A Federation starship ( 1.90×10^6 kg) uses its tractor beam to pull a shuttlecraft ( 2.00×10^4 kg) aboard from a distance of 11.0 km away. The tractor beam exerts a constant force of 4.0 x 10^4 N on the shuttlecraft. Both spacecraft are initially at rest.

How far does the starship move as it pulls the shuttlecraft aboard?
 
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lvelar said:

Homework Statement



A Federation starship ( 1.90×10^6 kg) uses its tractor beam to pull a shuttlecraft ( 2.00×10^4 kg) aboard from a distance of 11.0 km away. The tractor beam exerts a constant force of 4.0 x 10^4 N on the shuttlecraft. Both spacecraft are initially at rest.

How far does the starship move as it pulls the shuttlecraft aboard?

Where is the center of mass of the two ship system?
 
It didn't specify in the problem.
 
lvelar said:
It didn't specify in the problem.

Actually I was suggesting you figure it out.

When the tractor beam pulls the ship on board won't the center of mass then be in the middle of the mother ship?

By action reaction - no net external forces - how far each is before the tractor is switched on is how far they will travel then, right?
 

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