CAIE M1 2021 June — Question 5

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleM1 (Mechanics 1)
Year2021
SessionJune
TopicWork, energy and Power 1

5 A car of mass 1400 kg is towing a trailer of mass 500 kg down a straight hill inclined at an angle of \(5 ^ { \circ }\) to the horizontal. The car and trailer are connected by a light rigid tow-bar. At the top of the hill the speed of the car and trailer is \(20 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\) and at the bottom of the hill their speed is \(30 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\).
  1. It is given that as the car and trailer descend the hill, the engine of the car does 150000 J of work, and there are no resistance forces. Find the length of the hill.
  2. It is given instead that there is a resistance force of 100 N on the trailer, the length of the hill is 200 m , and the acceleration of the car and trailer is constant. Find the tension in the tow-bar between the car and trailer.