How Does a Canoe Move When You Walk in It?

[perfectlovehe]

A man with a mass of 65 kg stands up in a 64-kg canoe of length 4.0 m floating on water. He walks from a point 0.75 m from the back of the canoe to a point 0.75 m from the front of the canoe. Assume negligible friction between the canoe and the water. How far does the canoe move? (Assume the canoe has a uniform density such that its center of mass location is at the center of the canoe.)

 

[rl.bhat]

Since there is no external force acting on the canoe, the center of mass remains at rest.

In two cases the center of mass from the back of canoe are

$$\frac{65*0.75 + 64*2}{65 + 64} = \frac{65*1.5 + 64(2-x)}{65+64}$$

Now solve for x.

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