Mathematics 9709 · AS & A Level · Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion — practice question
A car with mass $1200\,\text{kg}$ is towing a trailer with mass $800\,\text{kg}$ up a slope making an angle $\alpha$ with the horizontal, where $\sin\alpha = 0.1$. The car and trailer system is treated as two particles joined by a light inextensible cable. The engine provides a driving force of $2500\,\text{N}$, while the resistive forces on the car and trailer are $100\,\text{N}$ and $150\,\text{N}$ respectively.
(i)[4]
Determine the acceleration of the system and the tension in the cable.
(ii)[3]
At the instant when the car and trailer are moving at $30\,\text{m s}^{-1}$, the driving force drops to zero. The cable stays taut. Find the time, in seconds, for the system to come to rest.
Worked solution & mark scheme
This 7-mark question has a full step-by-step worked solution and mark scheme.