Newton's second law and a locomotive

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a locomotive with a mass of 50,000 kg traveling at a speed of 60 m/s when both its engine and brakes fail. Participants are exploring the implications of Newton's laws of motion in this context.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are questioning the absence of forces acting on the locomotive and discussing the implications of Newton's first and second laws. There is uncertainty about how to approach the problem given the lack of information regarding friction or other forces.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem. Some have suggested that the scenario may not align with Newton's second law, while others emphasize the need to consider forces that may not be explicitly stated in the problem.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted absence of information regarding friction or any other forces acting on the locomotive, which is central to the discussion. Participants are also reflecting on the implications of the problem's wording and the assumptions that can be drawn from it.

Jennifer001
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Homework Statement



A 50,000 kg locomotive is traveling at 60.0 when its engine and brakes both fail.

How far will the locomotive roll before it comes to a stop?

I'm completely lost and i don't know how to get started on this question
 
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Jennifer001 said:

Homework Statement



A 50,000 kg locomotive is traveling at 60.0 when its engine and brakes both fail.

How far will the locomotive roll before it comes to a stop?

I'm completely lost and i don't know how to get started on this question

F = m*a

If there is no braking, there is no force. No force means no deceleration.

Is that the entire statement of the problem?
 
yes that's the entire question
 
for F=m*a there is no acceleration because its alrdy traveling at 60m/s sorry i left that "m/s" out of the question
 
Jennifer001 said:
for F=m*a there is no acceleration because its alrdy traveling at 60m/s sorry i left that "m/s" out of the question

Better hope there is a lot of track then.
 
If the problem doesn't state a friction force involved, or any other type of force involved, then the train will keep moving until...some force interact with it.
 


Sakha said:
If the problem doesn't state a friction force involved, or any other type of force involved, then the train will keep moving until...some force interact with it.

Yup! :biggrin:

btw, this isn't a Newton's second law problem, but a Newtons first law problem …

a body on which no forces act continues to move with uniform velocity. :wink:
 

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