Final answer:
An empty trailer tends to bounce more on the highway compared to a heavily loaded one, as the weight of a heavy load would reduce the bounciness by absorbing road shocks.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is option 1, empty. If you notice a trailer bouncing up and down slowly as you pass it on the highway, it is more likely to be nearly empty.
A heavily loaded trailer would have less bounce because the weight would dampen the oscillations caused by uneven road surfaces. In contrast, an empty trailer has less mass, leading to a higher tendency to bounce due to a lack of weight to absorb the shocks from the road.
The correct answer is option 2. fully loaded. A tractor with a fully loaded trailer requires the shortest amount of stopping distance.
This is because when a trailer is fully loaded, it has a higher mass. According to Newton's second law, the force required to stop an object is directly proportional to its mass. Therefore, a heavily loaded trailer requires a greater force to stop, resulting in a longer stopping distance.
In contrast, an empty or lightly loaded trailer has a lower mass and requires less force to stop, resulting in a shorter stopping distance.