A 1020 kg car is pulling a 365 kg trailer. Together, the car and trailer have an acceleration of 2.21 m/s2 directly forward. (a) Determine the net force on the car. N forward (b) Determine the net force on the trailer. N forward

a. 2936.2 N b. 773.8 N

Explanation:

Let m = mass of car = 1020 kg and m' = mass of trailer and a = acceleration = 2.12 m/s².

a. Determine the net force on the car. N forward

Since the car pulls both itself and the trailer, the combined mass is m + m' and the net force F on the car is F = (m + m')a

= (1020 kg + 365 kg)2.12 m/s²

= 1385 kg × 2.12 m/s²

= 2936.2 N

b. Determine the net force on the trailer. N forward

The net force F' on the trailer is F = m'a

= 365 kg × 2.12 m/s²

= 773.8 N