Car and Trailer Acceleration Calculation

What are the forces acting on the car and trailer when accelerating?

In the given scenario, what is the net force acting on the car? How much force does the trailer experience? And what is the force the trailer exerts on the car?

Answer:

(a) Net force acting on the car: 2420N

(b) Force experienced by the trailer: 1188N

(c) Force the trailer exerts on the car: -1188N

Given the data provided:

• Acceleration of the car and trailer: 2.20 m/s²
• Mass of the car: 1100 kg
• Mass of the trailer: 540 kg

(a) To find the net force acting on the car, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force on an object is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration:

F_{net, car} = m_car * a

Substitute the given values:

F_{net, car} = 1100 kg * 2.20 m/s² = 2420 N

(b) To find the force experienced by the trailer, we use the same formula:

F_{net, trailer} = m_trailer * a

Substitute the given values:

F_{net, trailer} = 540 kg * 2.20 m/s² = 1188 N

(c) To find the force the trailer exerts on the car, we consider the fact that the trailer is connected to the car by a towing hitch. The force exerted by the trailer on the car is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted by the car on the trailer. So:

F_{trailer on car} = -F_{net, trailer}

F_{trailer on car} = -F_{net, trailer} = -1188 N

(Note: The negative sign indicates that the force exerted by the trailer on the car is in the opposite direction to the force exerted by the car on the trailer.)