Wile E. Coyote wants to launch Roadrunner into the air using a long lever asshown below. The lever starts at rest before the Coyote steps onto one end and pivots around its center of mass. Roadrunner is standing on the other end, which is held up by a small piece of ground underneath. The lever has mass 1.2 kg and length 16 m, the Roadrunner has mass 3.2 kg, and there is no friction at the pivot point of the lever.
a) Draw free body diagrams for the lever, Coyote, and Roadrunner. Make sure to label where all of the forces act on the lever’s free body diagram.
b) What is the minimal mass that Coyote must have to cause the lever to start rotating?
c) The coyote actually has a mass of 18 kg. If the roadrunner goes flying when the lever gets to a 45∘ angle from the horizontal, what is the roadrunner’s speed at that time, assuming the pivot is frictionless?
d) (Optional/challenge) What is the angular acceleration just after Coyote steps onto the lever?