A car has a maximum acceleration of 4.6m/s2 . What will the maximum acceleration be if the car is towing another car of the same mass?
To find the maximum acceleration of a car when towing another car of the same mass, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force applied to an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration.
1. Determine the mass of the car: Let's assume the mass of the car is "m."
2. Calculate the force required to accelerate the car: The force required to accelerate the car is given by the formula F = m * a, where F is the force, m is the mass, and a is the acceleration. In this case, we need to use the maximum acceleration value mentioned, which is 4.6 m/s^2.
So, the force required to accelerate the car is F1 = m * 4.6.
3. Calculate the force required to accelerate the car when towing another car of the same mass: When towing another car of the same mass, the total mass of the system becomes 2m (mass of the car + mass of the towed car).
The force required to accelerate the system becomes F2 = (2m) * a2, where a2 is the maximum acceleration we need to find.
4. Equate the forces: Since the two forces (F1 and F2) should be equal, we can set them equal to each other and solve for a2:
m * 4.6 = (2m) * a2
Simplifying the equation:
4.6 = 2 * a2
Divide both sides of the equation by 2:
2.3 = a2
Therefore, the maximum acceleration of the car when towing another car of the same mass will be 2.3 m/s^2.