Man on a plank- Center of Mass pb.

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SUMMARY

The problem involves a man, a plank, and a rock, where the man walks to the end of the plank, affecting the system's center of mass. Given the masses of the man (100 kg), the plank (40 kg), and the rock (200 kg), the center of mass is calculated to be 6.5 m from the man's starting position. The correct calculation shows that when the man moves to the other end of the plank, the plank shifts 2.9 m to maintain the center of mass. The formula used to determine the center of mass is Xcm = (m1x1 + m2x2 + m3x3) / (m1 + m2 + m3).

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Homework Statement



A man is standing at one end of a plank of length L = 10 m. The man has mass Mman = 100 kg and the plank has mass Mplank = 40 kg and the plank is atop a frictionless sheet of ice. At the other end of the plank sits a large rock of mass Mrock = 200 kg. The center of mass of the man+plank+rock is 6.5 m from the end of the plank where the man is standing.

The man walks to the other end of the plank and sits down on the rock. How far did the plank move along the ice?

Homework Equations




Xcm= m1x1+m2x2[tex]\div[/tex]m1+ m2


The Attempt at a Solution



SO I added one more mass and plugged in the numbers, solving for Xplank

Xcm= m1x1+m2 x2+m3x3[tex]\div[/tex]m1+ m2+m3

6.5=((100)(10)+(40)(Xplank)+(200)(0))[tex]\div[/tex](340 kg)

And... I wasn't even close. Help
 

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If it helps... the answer is 2.9 m, but I have no idea why.
 
When man moves forward, to keep the CM constant, the whole plank with man must back. So Man*L = Total mass*x.
Find x.
 

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