A small cart of mass is pulled eastward along a straight track by a worker who exerts…

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

Problem

A small cart of mass

50\,\text{kg}

is pulled eastward along a straight track by a worker who exerts a steady force of

120\,\text{N}

for

6\,\text{s}

. A gusty head-wind opposes the motion with a force of

30\,\text{N}

for only the first

4\,\text{s}

and then suddenly drops to zero. Throughout the motion, wheel friction of

20\,\text{N}

acts opposite to the cart’s motion. The cart starts from rest. Using the above information answer the following. (i) Determine the magnitude and direction of the net force acting on the cart during the first

4\,\text{s}

. (ii) Calculate the acceleration of the cart in this interval. (iii) Find the speed of the cart at the end of

4\,\text{s}

. (iv) Compute the net force on the cart during the next

2\,\text{s}

when the wind has stopped. (v) Determine the speed of the cart at the end of

6\,\text{s}

and the total distance travelled in the entire

6\,\text{s}

duration.

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