Question

Two boys with masses of 40 kg and 60 kg stand on a horizontal frictionless surface holding the ends of a light 10-m long rod. The boys pull themselves together along the rod. When they meet the 40-kg boy will have moved what distance?.

Answer 1

When the two boys pull themselves together along the rod, the 40-kg boy will move a distance of 6.67 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this situation, the two boys are pulling themselves together along a rod. Since the surface is frictionless, there is no other force acting on them other than the force they apply on the rod. When they meet, the 40-kg boy will have moved a distance of 6.67 meters.

This can be calculated using the principle of conservation of momentum. The total initial momentum of the system is zero, and the final momentum is also zero since the boys come to rest. The momentum is given by the product of mass and velocity. Since the masses are in a 2:3 ratio, we can assume that the 40-kg boy moves 2 units of distance for every 3 units of distance moved by the 60-kg boy.