An airplane with a mass of 1.20x10^4 kg tows a glider with a mass of 0.60x10^4 kg. if the airplane propellers provide a net forward thrust of 3.60x10^4, what is the acceleration of the glider?
I'm thinking that I should add the masses and then solve using the equation Fn=ma
leading to the answer 2m/s^2
Any thoughts? Thank you!
Maybe I shouldn't add the masses and just take the glider's mass? leading to 6m/s^2? I am a bit unsure. Please help!
You had it right. If the tow line does not stretch, they accelerate together. Add masses
Look subject
Your approach is correct! To find the acceleration of the glider, you can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration (Fn = ma).
In this case, the net force acting on the glider is the forward thrust provided by the airplane's propellers. The mass of the glider is 0.60x10^4 kg. Therefore, you can write:
Fn = ma
3.60x10^4 N = (0.60x10^4 kg) x a
To isolate the acceleration (a), divide both sides of the equation by the mass of the glider:
a = (3.60x10^4 N) / (0.60x10^4 kg)
Simplifying the equation yields:
a = 6 m/s^2
So, the acceleration of the glider is 6 m/s^2, not 2 m/s^2 as you mentioned.