A man of mass m stands at the left end of a uniform plank of length L and mass M, which lies on a frictionaless surface of ice. If the man walks to the other end of the plank, then by what distance does the plank slide on the ice?

Explanation

To solve the problem of how far the plank slides on the ice when a man walks from one end to the other, we can use the principle of conservation of momentum. Here's the step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understand the System
We have a man of mass \( m \) standing on a uniform plank of mass \( M \) and length \( L \) on a frictionless surface. When the man walks from one end of the plank to the other, both the man and the plank will move.

### Step 2: Define the Initial Conditions
Initially, both the man and the plank are at rest. Therefore, the total momentum of the system (man + plank) is zero.

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