Final answer:
The force required to accelerate a toy train, consisting of a 1.9 kg locomotive and five 0.90 kg cars, at 0.25 m/s² while overcoming a total frictional drag force of 10 N is 11.6 N. The locomotive's motor is the object pushing it forward.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the force acting on the locomotive that pushes the whole toy train forward causing an acceleration of 0.25 m/s², one must first calculate the total mass of the train. The locomotive has a mass of 1.9 kg and each of the 5 cars has a mass of 0.90 kg, so the total mass is 1.9 kg + (5 × 0.90 kg) = 6.4 kg. Using Newton's second law, F = ma, where 'm' is the mass and 'a' is the acceleration, we calculate the net force needed to accelerate the train: F = 6.4 kg × 0.25 m/s² = 1.6 N.
However, we must consider the frictional drag force of 2 N acting on each car. There are 5 cars, so the total frictional force is 5 cars × 2 N/car = 10 N. The net force must include the force to overcome this friction, so the total force that the locomotive needs to exert is 1.6 N + 10 N = 11.6 N.
The object pushing the locomotive forward is typically the motor inside the locomotive which converts electrical energy into mechanical work. For the calculation of the force in hitches, we need more information about how the train is connected and whether these forces differ from the net force required to move the train.