Question

While practising for the snake boat race (Vallum kalli in Kerala), 100 oarsmen are rowing a boat together. Out of these, 95 row backwards to propel the boat forward. But by mistake, 5 oarsmen row in the opposite direction. If each oarsman applies a horizontal force of 200 N, what is the net force on the snake boat? (Ignore drag forces, air friction, etc.)

Answer 1

Given:

The force applied by each oarsman is 200 N.

Number of oarsmen rowing the boat forward = 95

Number of oarsmen rowing in the opposite direction = 5

Total forward force = 95 × 200 = 19000 N

Total backward force = 5 × 200 = 1000 N

Net force = Forward force − Backward force = 19000 − 1000 = 18000 N

Therefore, the net force acting on the snake boat is 18000 N in the forward direction.