Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 9 - Center of Mass and Linear Momentum - Problems - Page 255: 109a

Answer

The center of mass of the Earth-Moon system is a distance of $~~4.64\times 10^6~m~~$ from the center of the Earth.

Work Step by Step

The mass of the Earth is $5.98\times 10^{24}~kg$ The mass of the Moon is $7.36\times 10^{22}~kg$ Let the position of the center of the Earth be $x = 0$ Let the position of the center of the Moon be $x = 3.82\times 10^8~m$ We can find the center of mass of the Earth-Moon system: $x_{com} = \frac{(5.98\times 10^{24}~kg)(0)+(7.36\times 10^{22}~kg)(3.82\times 10^8~m)}{5.98\times 10^{24}~kg+7.36\times 10^{22}~kg}$ $x_{com} = 4.64\times 10^6~m$ The center of mass of the Earth-Moon system is a distance of $~~4.64\times 10^6~m~~$ from the center of the Earth.
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