Air is blown onto a sail attached to a boat from an electric fan placed on the boat. Will the boat start moving?

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(B) No,the boat will not move. According to Newton's $3^{rd}$ Law of Motion,when the air from the fan pushes the sail,the sail exerts an equal and opposite force on the fan. Since the fan is attached to the boat,the system (fan + boat) experiences internal forces that cancel each other out. Motion occurs only when an external unbalanced force acts on a body. Since the fan is part of the boat,no net external force is applied to the system,and therefore,the boat will not move.

Explore More

Similar Questions

$(a)$ State the law of conservation of momentum.
$(b)$ Mention two factors which determine the momentum of a body.
$(c)$ Prove the law of conservation of momentum with clear explanation,diagram and equation.

$(a)$ Why do we jerk wet clothes before spreading them on a clothesline?
$(b)$ Fruits fall off the branches when a strong wind blows. Give a reason.

$A$ steam engine of mass $3 \times 10^{4} \text{ kg}$ pulls two wagons,each of mass $2 \times 10^{4} \text{ kg}$,with an acceleration of $0.2 \text{ m s}^{-2}$. Neglecting frictional forces,calculate the:
$(i)$ force exerted by the engine.
$(ii)$ force experienced by each wagon.

$(a)$ Define momentum. Write its $SI$ unit.
$(b)$ $A$ car and a truck have the same momentum. Whose velocity is more and why?
$(c)$ $A$ bullet of mass $20 \ g$ moving with a speed of $500 \ m s^{-1}$ strikes a wooden block of mass $1 \ kg$ and gets embedded in it. Find the speed with which the block moves along with the bullet.

While playing football,the goalkeeper did not get sufficient time to stop a fast ball shot towards him. Why did he hurt his hand while doing so?

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo