Question

A student standing on a stationary skateboard tosses a textbook with a mass of mb = 1.35 kg to a friend standing in front of him. The student and the skateboard have a combined mass of mc = 97 kg and the book leaves his hand at a velocity of vb = 4.61 m/s at an angle of 28° with respect to the horizontal.

(a)Write an expression for the magnitude of the velocity of the student,vs, after throwing the book

(b)Calculate the magnitude of the velocity of the student,vs, in meters per second?

(c)What is the magnitude of the momentum,pe, which was transferred from the skateboard to the the Earth during the time the book isbeing thrown (in kilogram meters per second)?

Answer 1

Answer:

a) $u_c=0\ m.s^{-1}$       &        $m_c.v_c=m_b.v_b\times \cos\theta$

b) $v_c=0.0566\ m.s^{-1}$

c) $p_e=2.9218\ kg.m.s^{-1}$

Explanation:

Given:

mass of the book, $m_b=1.35\ kg$

combined mass of the student and the skateboard, $m_c=97\ kg$

initial velocity of the book, $v_b=4.61\ m.s^{-1}$

angle of projection of the book from the horizontal, $\theta=28^{\circ}$

a)

velocity of the student before throwing the book:

Since the student is initially at rest and no net force acts on the student so it remains in rest according to the Newton's first law of motion.

$u_c=0\ m.s^{-1}$

where:

$u_c=$ initial velocity of the student

velocity of the student after throwing the book:

Since the student applies a force on the book while throwing it and the student standing on the skate will an elastic collision like situation on throwing the book.

$m_c.v_c=m_b.v_b\times \cos\theta$

where:

$v_c=$ final velcotiy of the student after throwing the book

b)

$m_c.v_c=m_b.v_b\times \cos\theta$

$97\times v_c=1.35\times 4.61\cos28$

$v_c=0.0566\ m.s^{-1}$

c)

Since there is no movement of the student in the vertical direction, so the total momentum transfer to the earth will be equal to the momentum of the book in vertical direction.

$p_e=m_b.v_b\sin\theta$

$p_e=1.35\times 4.61\times \sin28^{\circ}$

$p_e=2.9218\ kg.m.s^{-1}$