Calculating Force Exerted by a Car on a Trailer

How can we find the force exerted by a car on a trailer?

Answer:

The force exerted by the car on the trailer can be calculated using Newton's second law, which states that force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma). In this case, the force exerted by the car is equal to the total mass of the car and trailer multiplied by their acceleration.

Explanation:

To find the force exerted by the car on the trailer, we need to consider the total mass of the car and the trailer. In the given scenario, the car has a mass of 1500 kg and the trailer has a mass of 600 kg, making the total mass 2100 kg.

Next, we can determine the acceleration of the car-trailer system. Using the equation v = u + at, where v is the final velocity, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time, we find that the acceleration is 6 m/s^2.

By plugging in the values of total mass (2100 kg) and acceleration (6 m/s^2) into the equation F = ma, we calculate the force exerted by the car on the trailer to be 12600 N.

Therefore, the car exerts a force of 12600 N on the trailer to accelerate it along a level road over a distance of 60 m within 10 s.