Final answer:
The physics question involves finding the total resisting force acting on a car and trailer system using Newton's second law. The calculation entails summing the mass of the vehicle and trailer and applying the given acceleration to find the resisting force. Additionally, the force in the hitch is determined by the percent of resistance allocated to the boat and trailer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the force dynamics of vehicles and trailers, categorized under high school level Physics. When a 1100-kg car exerts a 1900-N force and produces an acceleration of 0.550 m/s², while pulling a 700-kg boat on a trailer, we must apply Newton's second law of motion to find the total resisting force. This can be calculated using the formula:
Fnet = m × a
Where Fnet is the net force, m is the total mass, and a is the acceleration. Here, the total mass (m) is the sum of the mass of the car and the boat plus the trailer. The acceleration (a) is given as 0.550 m/s². The net force is then the sum of the resistance and the input force exerted on the road, which allows us to solve for the resistance force.
In the second part, concerning the force experienced by the boat and trailer, we determine the force in the hitch by calculating 80% of the resisting forces, based on the given that 80% of the resisting forces are experienced by the boat and trailer.