A boy of mass 50kg is standing on a frictionless surface. He throws a ball of mass 2kg away from him with a speed of 10m/s. Find the final speed of the centre of mass.
(a) 0m/s
(b) 20m/s
(c) 10m/s
(d) 0.4m/s
The question was asked in exam.
Question is from System of Particles topic in section System of Particles and Rotational Motion of Physics – Class 11
Select the correct answer from above options
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Correct choice is (a) 0m/s
The best explanation: Initially the boy was at rest and there is no friction, so the net force on the ball-boy system is zero. Hence, their momentum change will be zero and final velocity of centre will also be zero. Note that boy will move backwards with a speed of 2*10/50 = 0.4m/s.