A uniform wooden rod of length 1.20 m and mass 4.0 kg lies along the x-axis with its…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · System of Particles and Rotational Motion · System of Particles and Rotational Motion
Problem
A uniform wooden rod of length 1.20 m and mass 4.0 kg lies along the x-axis with its left end at x = 0. A point mass of 2.0 kg is rigidly attached to the right end of the rod at x = 1.20 m.
(a) Calculate the x-coordinate of the center of mass of the composite object (rod plus attached mass).
(b) During an experiment the 2.0 kg mass detaches without imparting any external impulse to the rod. Determine the x-coordinate of the center of mass of the remaining rod alone.
(c) Explain, in one or two coherent sentences, why the center of mass computed in part (b) differs from that in part (a), even though the rod itself has not changed physically.