1. Two people-one twice as heavy as the other one, play tug-of-war with a 12m ideal rope while standing on a frictionless ice surface. Would any of them move and if he does, how far? Explain why?
1 answer
A frictionless surface can exert no force on the combination of two people and rope. The people will move themselves closer together, however, by both pulling on the rope. Their center of mass would remain in the same place. The heavier person will have moved 4 m and the lighter person 8 m, when they come together.