What is the Force of the Car on the Truck in a Pushing Scenario?

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SUMMARY

The force of the car on the truck in a pushing scenario is determined by the car's drive wheels pushing back against the ground with a force of 4500N. According to Newton's third law, the force exerted by the car on the truck is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by the truck on the car. The calculations confirm that both forces are 4500N, as the system accelerates together. The acceleration of the car-truck system can be calculated using F=ma, where the total mass is 3000kg.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion, particularly Newton's third law.
  • Basic knowledge of free-body diagrams and their application in physics.
  • Familiarity with the equation F=ma for calculating force, mass, and acceleration.
  • Concept of friction and its role in force interactions between objects.
NEXT STEPS
  • Calculate the acceleration of the car-truck system using F=ma with the total force and mass.
  • Explore free-body diagram techniques to visualize forces acting on the car and truck.
  • Study the implications of friction in different scenarios, including rolling friction.
  • Investigate real-world applications of Newton's laws in vehicle dynamics and collisions.
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Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on mechanics, as well as educators looking for practical examples of Newton's laws in action.

TheAntithesis
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Homework Statement


A 1000kg car pushes a 2000kg truck which has a dead battery. When the car driver pushes on the accelerator, the drive wheels of the car push back against the ground with a force of 4500N. Rolling friction can be ignored.
What is the magnitude of the force of the car on the truck?
What is the magnitude of the force of the truck on the car?


Relevant equations
I'm guessing F=ma

The attempt at the solution
I know that the two questions should have the same answer because of Newton's third law, I'm just having a problem setting up the equations. If someone could provide a free-body diagram, that would help a lot.
I've calculated the normal and weight forces for both the car and the truck, 9800N and 19600N respectively. What I don't really understand is the push against the ground of 4500N.
 
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TheAntithesis said:

Homework Statement


A 1000kg car pushes a 2000kg truck which has a dead battery. When the car driver pushes on the accelerator, the drive wheels of the car push back against the ground with a force of 4500N. Rolling friction can be ignored.
What is the magnitude of the force of the car on the truck?
What is the magnitude of the force of the truck on the car?


Relevant equations
I'm guessing F=ma

The attempt at the solution
I know that the two questions should have the same answer because of Newton's third law, I'm just having a problem setting up the equations. If someone could provide a free-body diagram, that would help a lot.
I've calculated the normal and weight forces for both the car and the truck, 9800N and 19600N respectively. What I don't really understand is the push against the ground of 4500N.
The car's drive wheels push back against the ground with a force of 4500 N, due to friction between the tires and ground. Using Newton 3, with what force and direction does the ground push on the car? That's the force acting on the car-truck system, which accelerates the car and truck together per Newton 2. What is that acceleration of the car and truck together? What's the acceleration of the truck? What force must act on the truck by the car to produce that truck's acceleration?
 

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