The discussion revolves around the effects of a spring's direction of acceleration on the momentum of a system involving two gliders. Participants are exploring the implications of external forces, specifically the spring, on the overall momentum of the system.
The discussion is active with participants raising questions about the system's definition and the role of the spring as an external force. There is no explicit consensus, but various interpretations and considerations are being explored regarding the momentum changes.
Participants are working under the constraints of the problem statement, which does not provide mass for the spring, leading to uncertainty about its contribution to the system's momentum.
The system consists of the two gliders. So it appears that the spring is indeed an external force. But the direction the spring accelerates the block is in negative direction, so I am not sure how the TOTAL momentum of the system will change.brainpushups said:
Even if you count the spring as external to the system (and I'm not sure that's intended), you are not given any mass for it. Taking its mass as zero, it cannot add or remove any momentum from the system of gliders.Joe Armas said:
The system consists of the two gliders. So it appears that the spring is indeed an external force. But the direction the spring accelerates the block is in negative direction, so I am not sure how the TOTAL momentum of the system will change.