Two ice skaters, Skater X and Skater Y, are at rest on a horizontal surface made of ice. The friction between the ice and the skaters is negligible. Skater X, who has a smaller mass than Skater Y, pushes Skater Ysuch that Skater Y travels with a speed of 2vo to the right. Which of the following indicates the direction of the velocity of Skater X and the direction of the velocity of the center of mass of the two-skater system after the push?

Question

Physics

Phillip Colon

Today, 01:34

Two ice skaters, Skater X and Skater Y, are at rest on a horizontal surface made of ice. The friction between the ice and the skaters is negligible. Skater X, who has a smaller mass than Skater Y, pushes Skater Ysuch that Skater Y travels with a speed of 2vo to the right. Which of the following indicates the direction of the velocity of Skater X and the direction of the velocity of the center of mass of the two-skater system after the push?

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Answers (1)

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Clayton Waller · Answer 1

Skater X to the left

Center of mass to zero

Explanation:

Both skaters here known to be the system were initially at rest to imply that even their masses were at rest. Once skater X pushes skater Y, he moves to the left to conserve total momentum of the system and the center of mass remains at rest since the system hasn't experienced any external force. Therefore, the total linear momentum of the system remains conserved. Consequently, the velocity of center of mass changes when external force is applied. Moreover, the center of mass remains at rest since it was initially at rest.