Motion of Center of Mass: Practice Problem & Solution

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Motion of Center of Mass. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

\[ v_{cm}=\frac{(m_{1}v_{1}+ m_{2}v_{2})}{(m_{1}+m_{2})} \]

As Center of mass will remain at rest  \[ (m_{1}v_{1}+ m_{2}v_{2}) = 0 \]

4 × 10 + 40 × v = 0

v = -1 m/s