Question

Maglev" trains use magnetic fields to levitate the train a few centimeters above the tracks. This design cuts down on friction so that the train can travel much faster than trains that roll on the tracks. The fastest maglev train is an experimental Shinkansen train consisting of three cars. This train has reached a speed of 550 km/h. Assume that the mass of this train is 1.33 x 10^5 kg and that the unbalanced force needed to accelerate the train to its top speed is 7.07 x 10^4 N. What is the train's acceleration?

Answer 1

The acceleration of the maglev train is calculated using Newton's second law of motion, resulting in an acceleration of 0.5315 m/s^2.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the acceleration of the maglev train, we can apply Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma). Rearranging this formula to solve for acceleration (a), we get a = F/m.

Given that the unbalanced force (F) needed to accelerate the train to its top speed is 7.07 x 104 N and the mass (m) of the train is 1.33 x 105 kg, we can plug these values into the formula to find the acceleration.

a = 7.07 x 104 N / 1.33 x 105 kg = 0.5315 m/s2

Therefore, the acceleration of the train is 0.5315 meters per second squared.