READING TIME: < 1 minute
A rope has been tied to the stern of a small boat floating in still water. Is it possible for someone standing in the boat to propel it forward by jerking on the free end of the rope?
Now consider a space capsule drifting in space. Could it be propelled by similar means?
Concepts involved:
- Newton’s (third) law of motion, friction, force of friction, impulse, action and reaction.
