Question

two ice skaters, with masses of 50 kg and 85 kg , are at the center of a 30 m -diameter circular rink. the skaters push off against each other and glide to opposite edges of the rink. part a if the heavier skater reaches the edge in 40 s , how long does the lighter skater take to reach the edge?

Answer 1

The lighter skater takes 40 seconds to reach the edge of the rink.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, the heavier skater reaches the edge of the rink in 40 seconds. We can use the principle of conservation of momentum to determine how long it takes for the lighter skater to reach the edge.

According to the principle of conservation of momentum, the initial momentum of the system is equal to the final momentum of the system. The initial momentum of the system is 0 since both skaters are initially at rest. After they push off against each other, they move in opposite directions.

Let's denote the time it takes for the lighter skater to reach the edge as t. Since the skaters move in opposite directions, their momenta have opposite signs.

Using the equation: m1v1 + m2v2 = 0, we can plug in the masses and velocities to solve for t.

50 kg * 0 + 85 kg * (-30 m / t) = 0

85 * (-30) / t = 0

85 * (-30) = 0

t = 40 seconds