You are standing at the very rear of a raft of length L 54

You are standing at the very rear of a raft of length L = 5.4 m and mass M = 129 kg that is at rest in a lake with its prow only 0.50 m from the end of the pier. Your mass is m = 65 kg. Neglect frictional forces between the raft and the water.

(a) How far from the end of the pier is the center of mass of the you-raft system?


(b) You walk to the front of the raft and then stop. How far from the end of the pier is the center of mass now?


(c) When you are at the front of the raft, how far are you from the end of the pier?

Solution

You are standing at the very rear of a raft of length L = 5.4 m and mass M = 129 kg that is at rest in a lake with its prow only 0.50 m from the end of the pier. Your mass is m = 65 kg. Neglect frictional forces between the raft and the water.

(a) How far from the end of the pier is the center of mass of the you-raft system?


(b) You walk to the front of the raft and then stop. How far from the end of the pier is the center of mass now?


(c) When you are at the front of the raft, how far are you from the end of the pier?