A motorcycle stunt rider plans to start from one end of a railroad flatcar, acce

Question

A motorcycle stunt rider plans to start from one end of a railroad flatcar, accelerate toward the other end of the car, and jump from the flatcar to a platform. The motorcycle and rider have a mass of 397 kg and a length of 2.11 m. The flatcar has a mass of 1990 kg and a length of 22.3 m. Assume that there is negligible friction between the flatcar's wheels and the rails and that the motorcycle and rider can move through the air with negligible resistance. The flatcar is initially touching the platform. The promoters of the event have asked you how far the flatcar will be from the platform when the stunt rider reaches the end of the flatcar. What is your answer?

Explanation / Answer

center of mass= (m1*x1 + m2*x2) / (m1 + m2) = 18.94 m from the platform

Since this will never change we can simply subtract this value from the length of flatcar to find how far the flatcar moves.

22.3 m - 18.94 m = 3.35 m

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.