Two bodies of masses 2 kg and 4 kg are moving with velocities 2 m/s respectively. What is velocity of their centre of mass?
Velocity is a vector quantity representing the rate of change of position with respect to time, including both speed and direction.
Class 11 Physics
Systems of Particle & Rotational Motion
CBSE EXAM 2024-25
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The velocity of the center of mass is determined by taking into account all the objects and their masses and velocities. It is a weighted average velocity that accounts for the contribution of the mass and motion of each object. For two bodies with masses of 2 kg and 4 kg, moving at velocities of 2 m/s and 8 m/s respectively, their center of mass velocity can be calculated by combining their individual motions proportionally to their masses. The mass with smaller magnitude contributes less to the center of mass velocity, but the larger mass will dominate and, therefore, influence it more. The average velocity is thus determined by finding the weighted average for the different velocities with their respective masses. Therefore, the center of mass velocity turns out to be 6.4 m/s, which represents the balance between the two objects and, therefore, indicates that the motion of the heavier object pulls in the system more.
The center of mass is a fundamental concept in the study of collective motion in several objects, especially in mechanics. It simplifies the analysis by focusing on a single point that behaves as if all the mass of the system were concentrated there.
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