How Much Force Does a Car Exert on the Road When Pulling a Trailer?

[szszcool]

A 1000 kg car is pulling a 325 kg trailer. Together, the car and trailer have an acceleration of 2.18 m/s2 in the forward direction. Neglecting frictional forces on the trailer.


Find the resultant force exerted by the car on the road magnitude and
direction

 

[Siress]

force(N) = mass(kg) * acceleration(m/s^2)

 

[baba89]

Based on the given information, we can use Newton's Second Law of Motion to solve for the resultant force exerted by the car on the road. This law states that the net force on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration (F=ma).

In this case, the total mass of the car and trailer is 1000 kg + 325 kg = 1325 kg. And the acceleration is given as 2.18 m/s2 in the forward direction.

Therefore, the resultant force exerted by the car on the road can be calculated as follows:

F = (1325 kg) x (2.18 m/s2)
= 2888.5 N

This means that the car is exerting a force of 2888.5 N on the road in the forward direction.

To determine the direction of this force, we can use the concept of vectors. Since both the mass and acceleration are in the same direction (forward), the resultant force will also be in the same direction. Therefore, the direction of the force exerted by the car on the road is in the forward direction.

It is important to note that this calculation neglects frictional forces on the trailer, which may affect the overall acceleration and resultant force. However, assuming that the trailer is moving smoothly without any friction, the above calculation should provide an accurate estimate of the resultant force exerted by the car on the road.