Answer :
Final answer:
The center of mass of a system with a 5 kg and a 10 kg particle attached to the ends of a 1 m long rod is 67 cm away from the 5 kg particle. Therefore, the correct option is A.
Explanation:
The question involves finding the center of mass of a system consisting of two particles of different masses connected by a rigid rod. To find the center of mass, we can use the formula that takes into account the masses of the objects and their distances from a reference point. The formula is:
center of mass (CM) = (m1 × x1 + m2 × x2) / (m1 + m2)
Here, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two particles, and x1 and x2 are their respective distances from the reference point. In this case, we can take the 5 kg particle as the reference point (setting x1 = 0) and solve for the distance to the center of mass:
CM = (5 kg × 0 m + 10 kg × 1 m) / (5 kg + 10 kg)
= 10 kg·m / 15 kg
= 0.67 m or 67 cm
This means the center of mass is 67 cm away from the 5 kg particle, so the correct answer to the student's question is (a) 67 cm.
