Question

A truck pulls a trailer on a flat stretch of road. The forces acting on the trailer are the force due to gravity ( 250000 N downward), the force exerted by the road ( 250000 N upward), and the force exerted by the cable connecting the trailer to the truck ( 20000 N to the right). The forces acting on the truck are the force due to gravity ( 80000 N downward), the force exerted by the road ( 80000 N upward), the force exerted by the cable ( 20000 N to the left), and the force causing the truck to move forward ( 26400 N to the right). a. Draw and label a free-body diagram of the trailer. b. Draw and label a free-body diagram of the truck.

Answer 1

a) The free-body diagram of the trailer consists of weight of the trailer acting downwards (W), the normal force (N) and tension force (T).

(b) The free-body diagram of the truck consists of weight of the truck acting downwards (W), the normal force (N), the tension force (T) and forward force (F).

How to draw the free body diagram of the trailer and truck?

(a) The free-body diagram of the trailer consists of the following;

weight of the trailer acting downwards (W)

normal force on the trailer acting upwards (N)

tension force acting horizontal (T)

(b) The free-body diagram of the truck consists of the following;

weight of the truck acting downwards (W)

normal force on the truck acting upwards (N)

tension force acting horizontal (T)

forward force (F)

The free body diagram for both the truck and the trailer is shown in the image attached.