A locomotive of mass pulls two identical freight cars

PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Laws of Motion · Laws of Motion

Problem

A locomotive of mass

1.5\times10^{5}\,\text{kg}

pulls two identical freight cars, each of mass

3.0\times10^{5}\,\text{kg}

, along a straight level track. The engine’s wheels exert a forward force of

4.5\times10^{5}\,\text{N}

on the track. Rolling resistance opposes the motion:

2.0\times10^{4}\,\text{N}

on the locomotive and

1.2\times10^{4}\,\text{N}

on each freight car. (a) Treating the locomotive and the two freight cars together as a single system, calculate the magnitude of the acceleration of the train. (b) Still using your answer from part (a), determine the magnitude of the tension in the coupling between the locomotive and the first freight car. (c) Determine the magnitude of the tension in the coupling between the first and second freight cars. (d) Briefly describe how your choice of system in part (a) simplified the analysis required in parts (b) and (c).

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