On a long horizontally moving belt (Fig. 3.26), a child runs to and fro with a speed 9 km h–1 (with respect to the belt) between his father and mother located 50 m apart on the moving belt. The belt moves with a speed of 4 km h–1. For an observer on a stationary platform outside, what is the (a) speed of the child running in the direction of motion of the belt ?. (b) speed of the child running opposite to the direction of motion of the belt ? (c) time taken by the child in (a) and (b) ? Which of the answers alter if motion is viewed by one of the parents?
a) If the child is running in the direction of the motion of the belt, his speed is added to the one of the belt, so for an observer on a stationary platform his speed seems to be 4+9 = 13 km/hr
Now what do you think happens if the child is running in the direction opposite to the direction of motion of the belt?
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