Imagine a system composed of two identical particles. One particle is stationary while the other possesses an acceleration a . The acceleration of the centre of mass is

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Correct answer: C. (1)/(2) a

Let the mass of each identical particle be

m

.

The acceleration of the first particle is

\vec{a}_{1} = 0

.

The acceleration of the second particle is

\vec{a}_{2} = \vec{a}

.

The acceleration of the centre of mass of the system is given by the formula:

\vec{a}_{cm} = \dfrac{m_{1}\vec{a}_{1} + m_{2}\vec{a}_{2}}{m_{1} + m_{2}}

Substituting the values, we get:

\vec{a}_{cm} = \dfrac{m(0) + m(\vec{a})}{m + m}

\vec{a}_{cm} = \dfrac{m\vec{a}}{2m} = \dfrac{1}{2}\vec{a}

Imagine a system composed of two identical particles. One particle...

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