A Car Pulls a Trailer: Calculating the Force Exerted

Calculating the Force

A 1190 kg car pulls a 460 kg trailer. The car exerts a horizontal force of 4070 N against the ground in order to accelerate. We need to find out what force the car exerts on the trailer. Assuming an effective friction coefficient of 0.190 for the trailer, we can use the following formula:

F = 4070 N (the force of the car)

m = 1190 kg, M = 460 kg

k (or usually the Greek letter "mi")= 0.190

T = ? (the force on the trailer)

By applying the formula:

T = m · (F - k m g) / (M + m) + k m g

Substitute the given values:

T = 1190 kg · (4070 N - 0.190 · 1190 kg · 9.81 m/s²) / (460 kg + 1190 kg) + 0.190 · 1190 kg · 9.81 m/s²

After calculation:

T = 3553.7 N

Therefore, the force that the car exerts on the trailer is 3553.7 N.

What is the calculated force that the car exerts on the trailer?

The calculated force that the car exerts on the trailer is 3553.7 N.