Frictionless Floor Multiple Choice

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a scenario where a person named Larry is on a frictionless floor and is at rest. The discussion centers around how Larry could initiate movement to reach the edge of the room, with multiple-choice options provided that explore different physical principles such as force, torque, and conservation of momentum.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the implications of a frictionless surface on Larry's ability to push against the floor for movement. There is consideration of the effectiveness of spitting as a means to generate movement through momentum conservation. Some participants question the validity of pushing against the floor without friction.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problem, exploring different options and reasoning through the implications of each choice. There is a focus on the concept of conservation of momentum, with some participants expressing uncertainty about the other options related to force and torque.

Contextual Notes

There is a repeated emphasis on the lack of friction affecting the ability to push off the floor, which raises questions about the assumptions underlying the problem setup. Participants are also navigating the constraints of the multiple-choice format while trying to reason through the physics involved.

kajasu88
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Homework Statement



Somehow Larry got stuck in the middle of a room with a frictionless floor. Larry is at rest. How could Larry start moving to get to the edge of the room?

A. Push on the floor with his hands or feet. That way the floor could exert a force on him and Larry could accelerate from rest to moving linearly.

B. Push on the floor with his hands or feet. That way the floor could exert a torque on him and Larry could accelerate from rest to rotating.

C. Spit. It's gross, but since momentum is conserved, Larry could gain an the same amount of momentum as the initial momentum of his spit.

D. Spit. It's gross, but since force is conserved, Larry could accelerate.

E. Spit. It's gross, but since momentum is conserved, Larry would have the same speed as his spit.
 
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kajasu88 said:

Homework Statement



Somehow Larry got stuck in the middle of a room with a frictionless floor. Larry is at rest. How could Larry start moving to get to the edge of the room?

A. Push on the floor with his hands or feet. That way the floor could exert a force on him and Larry could accelerate from rest to moving linearly.

B. Push on the floor with his hands or feet. That way the floor could exert a torque on him and Larry could accelerate from rest to rotating.

C. Spit. It's gross, but since momentum is conserved, Larry could gain an the same amount of momentum as the initial momentum of his spit.

D. Spit. It's gross, but since force is conserved, Larry could accelerate.

E. Spit. It's gross, but since momentum is conserved, Larry would have the same speed as his spit.


So you stated the problem. What do you think the answer is and why? We don't do your homework/coursework for you here at the PF.
 
Any thoughts about it?
 
I don't think it has to do with pushing on the floor because if there is no friction, that wouldn't work right? unless they pushed up, but that wouldn't make him go forward.
so spit...
thats all i can htink of right now
 
kajasu88 said:
I don't think it has to do with pushing on the floor because if there is no friction, that wouldn't work right? unless they pushed up, but that wouldn't make him go forward.
so spit...
thats all i can htink of right now

Spitting is part of the right answer. Now which of the 3 spitting choices is correct?
 
kajasu88 said:
I don't think it has to do with pushing on the floor because if there is no friction, that wouldn't work right? unless they pushed up, but that wouldn't make him go forward.
so spit...
thats all i can htink of right now


So what about the spit? There are only 3 left to choose from. Which one do you think it is and why?
 
well it has to be conservation of momentum... don't know about conservation of force...
and has to be c because e would mean that the spit and larry have the same mass.

so C?
 
Yes, it's c.

[tex]m_1v_1=m_2v_2[/tex]
 

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