Question

A hovercraft of mass 300kg floats frictionlessly along at 8.0 m/s until the pilot decides to walk from their seat in the front to the back of the vehicle to get a sandwich. While they're walking (at 2.5 m/s relative to the craft), how far does the hovercraft move relative to the ground? It is 4.0m long and the pilot's mass is 150 kg.

Answer 1

The total mass of the system (hover craft + pilot) = 300+ 150 = 450 kg velocity of the whole sytem with respect to ground a 8 m/s So the intial momentum of ste system a 4500 8. = 3600 kg-m/s Let the new velocity of hover craft wort. ground are myg speed of velocity of pilot wart ground= - 2.5) mis so total momentum of the system = 3oou + 150 (U-2.5) = 3oou + 1sou 375 Kymls But there is no external force so momentum a must be conserved. 3600 - 3oove tisov- 375 3225 = 4sou r = 7.1667 m/s. speed 25m/s. me taken by the pilot to cover 4 m with .4 = 1.6 seca

Distance covered by hovercraft worst ground - speed x time itu, ale 01667 x 3.6 1.4667 m. =