question_answer

Two men stand facing each other on two boats floating on still water at a distance apart. A rope is held at its ends by both. The two boats are found to meet always at the same point, whether each man pulls separately or both pull together, why? Will the time taken be different in the two cases? Neglect friction.

Answer:

                The men on the two boats floating on water constitute a single system. So the forces applied by the two men are internal forces. Whether each man pulls separately or both pull together, the centre of mass of the system of boats remains fixed due to the absence of any external force. Consequently, the two boats meet at a fixed point, which is the centre of mass of the system.