A goods train engine of mass pulls four identical wagons
PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Force and Laws of Motion · Force and Laws of Motion
Problem
A goods train engine of mass 9000kg pulls four identical wagons, each of mass 2500kg, along a straight horizontal track. While the train is speeding up, the track offers a constant total resistive force of 6.0×103N opposing the motion.
(i) State what is meant by the term “net external force”.
(ii) Show how the total mass of the train is obtained from the information above.
(iii) The engine develops a horizontal pull of 3.6×104N. Calculate the acceleration produced in the train.
(iv) Explain, without further calculation, what would happen to the acceleration if a fifth wagon of the same mass were coupled to the train while the engine pull and the resistive force remained the same.