The electric locomotive starts off under the action of a traction force equal to 700 kN.

The electric locomotive starts off under the action of a traction force equal to 700 kN. What acceleration will it impart to the railway composition with a mass of 3000 tons, if the force of resistance to movement is 160 kN.

Given:

F1 = 700 kN = 700000 Newton – traction force of the electric locomotive;

Fsp = 160 kN = 160000 Newton – force of resistance to motion;

m = 3000 tons = 3,000,000 kilograms – the mass of the train.

It is required to determine a (m / s ^ 2) – the acceleration imparted by the electric locomotive to the train.

Let’s find the resultant force:

F1 = F – Fsp = 700000 – 160000 = 540000 Newton.

Then the acceleration will be equal to:

a = F / m = 540,000 / 3,000,000 = 0.18 m / s ^ 2.

Answer: the electric locomotive will report the acceleration to the train, equal to 0.18 m / s ^ 2.