A woman on a spaceship traveling at a velocity ₀ in free space runs forward and then suddenly stops.When she stops,the center of mass of the system (that is,the ship and the woman) A)moves in the same direction as ₀ with a slight increase in speed. B)moves in the same direction as ₀ with a slight decrease in speed. C)comes to rest if the woman can run fast enough. D)continues unchanged at a velocity ₀. E)moves in the direction that the woman runs until she stops.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of a system remains constant unless an external force acts on it. In this case, the woman running forward and then stopping is an internal force within the system of the spaceship and the woman. Therefore, the center of mass of the system will continue to move at a constant velocity, which is the spaceship's velocity before the woman started running. Thus, the correct answer is D.

A Woman on a Spaceship Traveling at a Velocity