Question

If a 2100 kg airplane pulls two gliders, the first of mass 340 kg, what is the acceleration of the system?

a) 0.12 m/s²
b) 0.23 m/s²
c) 0.34 m/s²
d) 0.45 m/s²

Answer 1

Additional information, such as the force exerted by the airplane, is required to calculate the acceleration of the system comprised of an airplane pulling a glider.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question at hand involves calculating the acceleration of a system consisting of an airplane pulling a single glider. Assuming that other forces such as friction are negligible and that only the mass is relevant, we would need to know the total force acting on the system to determine the acceleration.

Given that the problem does not provide a total force but presents a similar scenario involving a rocket sled with a known thrust and friction, we cannot directly calculate the acceleration for the airplane and glider system. For a precise solution, additional information such as the thrust or total force exerted by the airplane pulling the glider is required. Without this, we cannot accurately calculate the acceleration and thus cannot confidently provide an answer to the student's question.