Answer:
0.9432 m/s
Explanation:
We are given;
Mass of swimmer;m_s = 64.38 kg
Mass of log; m_l = 237 kg
Velocity of swimmer; v_s = 3.472 m/s
Now, if we consider the first log and the swimmer as our system, then the force between the swimmer and the log and the log and the swimmer are internal forces. Thus, there are no external forces and therefore momentum must be conserved.
So;
Initial momentum = final momentum
m_l × v_l = m_s × v_s
Where v_l is speed of the log relative to water
Making v_l the subject, we have;
v_l = (m_s × v_s)/m_l
Plugging in the relevant values, we have;
v_l = (64.38 × 3.472)/237
v_l = 0.9432 m/s