| Exam Board | OCR MEI |
|---|---|
| Module | M1 (Mechanics 1) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Session | January |
| Marks | 5 |
| Paper | Download PDF ↗ |
| Mark scheme | Download PDF ↗ |
| Topic | Newton's laws and connected particles |
| Type | Car towing trailer, horizontal |
| Difficulty | Moderate -0.8 This is a straightforward connected particles problem requiring only Newton's second law applied twice (once to the system, once to the trailer). The setup is simple with horizontal motion, given acceleration, and clear forces. It's easier than average as it's a standard textbook exercise with no problem-solving insight needed—just direct application of F=ma. |
| Spec | 3.03c Newton's second law: F=ma one dimension3.03k Connected particles: pulleys and equilibrium |
4 A car and its trailer travel along a straight, horizontal road. The coupling between them is light and horizontal. The car has mass 900 kg and resistance to motion 100 N , the trailer has mass 700 kg and resistance to motion 300 N , as shown in Fig. 4. The car and trailer have an acceleration of $1.5 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 2 }$.
\begin{figure}[h]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{19d42df9-e752-4d33-85e1-4ec59b32135a-3_400_753_1037_657}
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\caption{Fig. 4}
\end{center}
\end{figure}
(i) Calculate the driving force of the car.\\
(ii) Calculate the force in the coupling.
\hfill \mbox{\textit{OCR MEI M1 2006 Q4 [5]}}