The script for an action movie calls for a small race car (of mass 1500 kg and l

Question

The script for an action movie calls for a small race car (of mass 1500 kg and length 3.0 m) to accelerate along a flat-top boat (of mass 4400 kg and length 23 m), from one end to the other, where the car will then jump the gap between the boat and a somewhat lower dock. You are the technical advisor for the movie. The boat will initially touch the dock, as in the figure below. The boat can slide through the water without significant resistance and both the car and the boat can be approximated as uniform in their mass distribution. Determine what the width of the gap will be just as the car is about to make the jump.
m

Explanation / Answer

center of mass position will not change

m1*d1 + m2d2 = 0

1: car

2: boat

d: displacement

let boat move a distance x

4400*x = 1500*(23-x-3)

x = 20*1500/5900 = 5.085 m

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