• A $50$ kg student in a $10$ kg boat is trying to rescue me with a rope. I am a $100$ kg professor in a $20$ kg boat. Thestudent tosses me a rope, and I grab hold of the end. I hold my end tight, while the student $($doing all the work$)$pulls the rope into their boat at a speed of $3$ meters per second. Assume we were originally $30$ meters apart, thetemperature is $5$ degree centigrade, the sky is clear blue with a bright shinning sun, and there is a black water chicken in the lake nearby watching. Everyone is originally at rest, including the bird.

  $($a$)$ What is the speed of the students relative to the water while they are pulling the rope?

  $($b$)$ How far do I move before hitting the student$’$s boat?

  $($c$)$ What is the ratio of the force the student puts on the rope to the force that I put on the rope?

  
  

  

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

This is an application of the principle of conservation of momentum where the total momentum before and after the student begins to pull in the rope r... View the full answer