Question

Two people that have identical weight are holding onto a massless pole while standing on horizontal frictionless ice. 1)If the guy on the left starts to pull on the pole, where do they meet

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

From the missing image attached below, it is obvious that there no external force. This implies that they cannot change their position by merely just pulling the ropes. As a result, there will be no movement and no net force will exist.

So, if there is no external force;

The center of mass of the two people is:

$X_{cm}= \dfrac{m_1x_1+m_2x_2}{m_1+m_2} \\ \\ X_{cm}= \dfrac{m(-3m)+m(+3m)} {m+m}\\ \\ X_{cm}= \dfrac{0}{2m} \\ \\ X_{cm} =0$

Thus, In the system, no movement occurs and all forces remain the same.