Answer to Question #1064 in Mechanics | Relativity for Charlie

Question

A 60 kg boy and a 40 kg girl decide to play "tug of war" on a frictionless surface. In the process, the girl accelerated toward the boy at 3.0 m/sec^2. What is the acceleration of the boy toward the girl?

Answer 1

The forces applied to each kid are equal:
F = F;
m₁a₁ = m₂a₂;
Thus:
a₂ = m₁/m₂ a₁ = 40*3 / 60 = 2 m/s²