A 2200-kg

airplane pulls two gliders, the first of mass 350 kg
and the second of mass 250 kg
, down the runway with an acceleration of 1.3 m/s2
(Figure 1). Neglect the mass of the two ropes and any frictional forces. Determine the magnitude of horizontal thrust of the plane's propeller

1 answer

To determine the magnitude of the horizontal thrust generated by the airplane's propeller, we need to consider the total mass being accelerated and the acceleration.

Step 1: Calculate the total mass being accelerated.

The total mass \( m_{total} \) is the sum of the mass of the airplane and the masses of the gliders:

\[ m_{total} = m_{plane} + m_{glider1} + m_{glider2} \]

Where:

  • \( m_{plane} = 2200 , \text{kg} \)
  • \( m_{glider1} = 350 , \text{kg} \)
  • \( m_{glider2} = 250 , \text{kg} \)

Calculating \( m_{total} \):

\[ m_{total} = 2200 , \text{kg} + 350 , \text{kg} + 250 , \text{kg} = 2800 , \text{kg} \]

Step 2: Calculate the total force required to accelerate the entire system.

Using Newton's second law:

\[ F = m \cdot a \]

Where:

  • \( F \) is the total force (thrust in this case),
  • \( m \) is the total mass (2800 kg),
  • \( a \) is the acceleration (1.3 m/s²).

Calculating the total thrust:

\[ F = 2800 , \text{kg} \cdot 1.3 , \text{m/s}^2 = 3640 , \text{N} \]

Conclusion

The magnitude of the horizontal thrust of the plane's propeller is \( \mathbf{3640 , N} \).