COMEDK202510 May 2025Evening ShiftPhysicsCenter of Mass, Momentum and CollisionActual
The separation between C and O atoms in CO is 0.12 nm . The distance of C atom from the centre of mass is
Options
- A0.05 nm
- B0.1 nm
- C0.07 nm
- D0.03 nm
Correct answer
C. 0.07 nm
Step-by-step solution
Let m_ C be the mass of the carbon atom and m_ O be the mass of the oxygen atom. The atomic mass of carbon is 12 u and the atomic mass of oxygen is 16 u . Let the position of the carbon atom be x_ C = 0 and the position of the oxygen atom be x_ O = d = 0.12 nm . The centre of mass X_ CM is given by the formula X_ CM = m_ C x_ C + m_ O x_ O m_ C + m_ O . Substituting the values, X_ CM = 12 0 + 16 0.12 12 + 16 = 16 0.12 28 . X_ CM = 4 0.12 7 = 0.48 7 0.06857 nm . Rounding to 2 decimal places, the distance of the carb