# How big is a big olive; a big Brazil nut?

**URL:** <https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745>\
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\
**Created:** [November 5, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745 "2006-11-05T13:11:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RedGoober4Life](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redgoober4life/32/7610_2.png) [@RedGoober4Life](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedGoober4Life)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/1 "2006-11-05T13:11:42Z")

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A big olive (m = 0.087 kg) lies at the origin of an xy coordinate system, and a big Brazil nut (M = 0.58 kg) lies at the point (1.4, 3.0) m. At t = 0, a force o = (2 + 1) N begins to act on the olive, and a force n = (-2 -1) N begins to act on the nut. What is the (a)x and (b)y displacement of the center of mass of the olive-nut system at t = 7.4 s, with respect to its position at t = 0?

When not speaking to a physicist?

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**Author:** ![Minglor](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/minglor/32/7373_2.png) [@Minglor](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Minglor)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/2 "2006-11-05T13:25:56Z")

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I don’t…know…

ow…My brain.

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**Author:** ![Bacon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bacon/32/7230_2.png) [@Bacon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Bacon)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/3 "2006-11-05T13:30:49Z")

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42?

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**Author:** ![SubaruDan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/subarudan/32/7195_2.png) [@SubaruDan](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/SubaruDan)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/4 "2006-11-05T14:38:16Z")

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> [@FuzzyFish](#):
>
> 42?

exactly

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**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/5 "2006-11-05T21:08:48Z")

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After 7.4 seconds the olive is at (629.7+314.9) and the nut is at (-94.5-47.1)

The system’s center of mass is at (0,0)

:gotme: I can’t sleep and I like physics.

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**Author:** ![RedGoober4Life](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redgoober4life/32/7610_2.png) [@RedGoober4Life](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedGoober4Life)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/6 "2006-11-05T21:27:35Z")

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Realistically if they moved like that wouldn’t they collide?

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**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2006, 7:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-big-is-a-big-olive-a-big-brazil-nut/19745/7 "2006-11-06T07:11:56Z")

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Nope, their accelerations are the same magnitude so their paths are parallel, but the brazil nut never passes through the origin.