Overcoming Frozen Pond Friction with a Thrown Textbook

  • Thread starter Thread starter Vision5
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Friction Pond
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on a physics problem involving a 680 N student on a frictionless frozen pond with a radius of 6.0 m. To reach the south shore, the student throws a 2.6 kg textbook at a speed of 10.0 m/s. By applying the conservation of momentum principle, the student's mass is calculated to be 69.4 kg, resulting in a backward velocity of -0.37 m/s. The time taken for the student to reach the south shore is determined to be 16 seconds.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of conservation of momentum
  • Knowledge of basic kinematics
  • Ability to calculate mass from weight using gravitational force
  • Familiarity with the equations of motion
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of conservation of momentum in closed systems
  • Learn about kinematic equations and their applications in physics
  • Explore the relationship between weight and mass in gravitational fields
  • Investigate real-world applications of momentum in sports and engineering
USEFUL FOR

Students studying physics, educators teaching mechanics, and anyone interested in problem-solving techniques related to motion and forces.

Vision5
Messages
11
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



A 680 N student stands in the middle of a frozen pond having a radius of 6.0 m. He is unable to get to the other side because of a lack of friction between his shoes and the ice. To overcome this difficulty, he throws his 2.6 kg physics textbook horizontally toward the north shore at a speed of 10.0 m/s. How long does it take him to reach the south shore?

Homework Equations



p=m*v

F=p/t


The Attempt at a Solution



?
 
Physics news on Phys.org


Vision5 said:

Homework Statement



A 680 N student stands in the middle of a frozen pond having a radius of 6.0 m. He is unable to get to the other side because of a lack of friction between his shoes and the ice. To overcome this difficulty, he throws his 2.6 kg physics textbook horizontally toward the north shore at a speed of 10.0 m/s. How long does it take him to reach the south shore?

Homework Equations



p=m*v

F=p/t


The Attempt at a Solution



?

Please at least attempt a solution next time. I'll help you out anyway because I'm bored.

The basic strategy behind solving this problem centers on conservation of momentum. Before we get to that, however, we need to find out the mass of the student. We know the student's weight, W, and from that we can figure out the mass:

W = m_sg

>> 680 N = m_sg

>> m_s = 69.4 kg

With that out of the way, we can use conservation of momentum:

P_i = P_f

>> m_bv_b + m_sv_s = m_bv_b + m_sv_s

The left side of the equation is 0. There is no initial momentum. The book and the person are both at rest. This leaves us with the following equation:

0 = m_bv_b + m_sv_s

Plug everything in and solve for the velocity of the student:

v_s = -.37 m/s

Now it's simple kinematics:

distance = velocity * time

Solve for time:

t = 16 seconds
 


I apologize I had attemped it myself i just didn't want to write something completely wrong on here i thought it would just complicate things. Will do next time though.

Thank you for the help I appreciate it. Very easy to follow.

-vision
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
4K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
12K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
6K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
7K