Hello, I REALLY don't know how to solve this question and I'd really like some help! Here is the question :
A locomotive pulls 2 wagons of the same mass. Show that the force of tension between the locomotive and the first wagon is 2 times bigger than the force between the first and second wagon, independantly from the acceleration.
I just really don't know where to start... Thank you so so much for helping!
A locomotive pulls 2 wagons of the same mass. Show that the force of tension between the locomotive and the first wagon is 2 times bigger than the force between the first and second wagon, independantly from the acceleration.
I just really don't know where to start... Thank you so so much for helping!
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Try considering the 2 cars as an actual weight, say 1000kg. Since they are connected together (the front of one to the back of the next, then the front of the second to the locomotive), they act together to put tension on the connection between the first car and the locomotive. Thus, the combined tension is from the resulting 2000kg. The tension between the cars would only have the mass of the second car acting upon it, so 1000kg.
If that makes sense, you can go back and do it as a proof, using m for mass of a car (and so 2m for the mass of both cars). So plugging into the equations you will see that the tension using both cars has a 2m term in the result while the single car tension is only 1m. Having 2 vs 1 is showing twice the tension.
If that makes sense, you can go back and do it as a proof, using m for mass of a car (and so 2m for the mass of both cars). So plugging into the equations you will see that the tension using both cars has a 2m term in the result while the single car tension is only 1m. Having 2 vs 1 is showing twice the tension.
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http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hba…