How do I find force given mass and constant velocity

[Solid]

Homework Statement

A farm tractor tows a 3900kg trailer up a 16degree incline with a steady speed of 3.0 m/s. What force does the tractor exert on the trailer? (Ignore friction)

Homework Equations

F=ma
W=mg

The Attempt at a Solution

I haven't the slightest clue on where to start

 

[berkeman]

Homework Statement

A farm tractor tows a 3900kg trailer up a 16degree incline with a steady speed of 3.0 m/s. What force does the tractor exert on the trailer? (Ignore friction)

Homework Equations

F=ma
W=mg

The Attempt at a Solution

I haven't the slightest clue on where to start

Since the speed is constant, acceleration is zero, so F=ma gives you zero force for any acceleration.

Instead, use energy considerations. What it the change in gravitational potential energy (PE) per time for that tractor with that weight moving upward? And what is the equation that relates Power, Energy and Time?

 

[Solid]

Oh, we're not that far into it. We haven't studied energy yet. This question doesn't take into account Normal force either. We have many formulas relating displacement, time, acceleration, and velocity, but I don't think any of them come into play.

We also have Fx = Fxcosx Fy= Fycosy; x and y are theta

 

[iRaid]

[tex]\Sigma[/tex]F = -Ff + Fg = ma (0 since it's constant velocity)
mu_kF_N + mg = 0

There's what you get from the FBD.

 

[rwisz]

.

I can provide you with the necessary equations and steps to solve this problem. First, we need to understand the concept of force, which is defined as the product of mass and acceleration (F=ma). In this case, the tractor is exerting a force on the trailer in order to move it up the incline at a constant velocity. Therefore, we can use the equation F=ma to determine the force exerted by the tractor on the trailer.

To calculate the mass, we are given the mass of the trailer (3900kg). However, we also need the mass of the tractor in order to accurately calculate the force. Let's assume the mass of the tractor is 1500kg. Therefore, the total mass being pulled up the incline is 5400kg (3900kg trailer + 1500kg tractor).

Next, we need to determine the acceleration of the trailer. Since the trailer is moving at a constant speed of 3.0 m/s, we can assume that the acceleration is zero (since acceleration is the change in velocity over time). Therefore, we can rewrite the equation F=ma as F=m(0), which simplifies to F=0. This means that the force exerted by the tractor on the trailer is zero, since there is no acceleration.

However, we need to take into account the incline of the hill. We can use the equation W=mg, where W is the weight (or force due to gravity), m is the mass, and g is the gravitational acceleration (9.8 m/s^2). In this case, the trailer is being pulled up a 16 degree incline, which means that the weight of the trailer is being split into two components - one parallel to the incline and one perpendicular to the incline. The component of weight parallel to the incline is known as the "force of gravity" (Fg), which can be calculated by multiplying the weight (W) by the sine of the angle of incline (16 degrees). Therefore, Fg= Wsin(16). Plugging in the values, we get Fg= (3900kg)(9.8 m/s^2)sin(16) = 1065.3 N.

Since the tractor is towing the trailer, it is also exerting a force on the trailer in the opposite direction of the incline (up the hill). This force is equal in