The Object of the Game Is to Propel the Indian Across the Lake by Shooting His Bow and Arrow

Name: ______Date: ______Page: ___

Indian and the Canoe

The object of the game is to propel the Indian across the lake by shooting his bow and arrow. You can change the arrow's mass, the man's mass, and the speed at which he shoots the arrow to affect the movement of the canoe.

1. What happens if the arrow has little or no mass?

2. What do you notice about the relationship between the mass of the arrow, the mass of the man, the speed of the arrow and getting the man across the lake?

3. How does the initial velocity of the arrow affect how fast the Indian's canoe moves?

4. Does a heavier or a lighter arrow make the canoe move farther? How does this depend on the weight of the Indian?

Bonus: (Answer on back)

What factors affect the linear momentum of the arrow? What does the law of conservation of momentum tell us about the relationship of the arrow's momentum and the canoe's momentum?