A train travels east at a speed of 50 m/s. A passenger is walking towards the rear of the train at a speed of 3 m/s. Assume that you are standing at the train station and observing the motion of the passenger as the train passes you at the station. What is the velocity of the passenger as observed by you when the train passes the station?
The velocity of the passenger is (50-3) = 47 m/s East
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To determine the velocity of the passenger as observed by you when the train passes the station, we need to consider the motion of both the train and the passenger.
The velocity of the train is given as 50 m/s to the east. This means the train is moving towards the east relative to the train station.
The passenger is walking towards the rear of the train, which means in the opposite direction of the train's motion. The speed of the passenger relative to the train is given as 3 m/s. However, we need to find their velocity relative to the train station when the train passes by.
To find the velocity of the passenger relative to the train station, we need to add the velocities of the train and the passenger because they are moving in different directions. Since the train and the passenger are moving in opposite directions, we subtract the velocity of the passenger from the velocity of the train.
Therefore, the velocity of the passenger as observed by you when the train passes the station is 50 m/s (velocity of the train) minus 3 m/s (velocity of the passenger). This gives us a final velocity of 47 m/s towards the east.