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Question
A van is standing on a frictionless portion of a horizontal road. To start the engine, the vehicle must be set in motion in the forward direction. How can be persons sitting inside the van do it without coming out and pushing from behind?
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Solution
According to the question, the van is standing on a frictionless surface. When throwing something in backward direction, the persons sitting inside the van sets the van in motion in the forward direction according to the principle of conservation of linear momentum.
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