Question

A railroad car moves under a grain elevator at a constant speed of 3.20 m/s. Grain drops into the car at the rate of 240 kg/min. What is the magnitude of the force needed to keep the car moving constant speed if friction is negligible?

Answer 1

Answer:

F = 768 N                  

Explanation:

It is given that,

Speed of the elevator, v = 3.2 m/s

Grain drops into the car at the rate of 240 kg/min, $\dfrac{dm}{dt}=240\ kg/min = 4\ kg/s$

We need to find the magnitude of force needed to keep the car moving constant speed. The relation between the momentum and the force is given by :

$F=\dfrac{dp}{dt}$

$F=m\dfrac{dv}{dt}+v\dfrac{dm}{dt}$

Since, the speed is constant,

$F=m\dfrac{dv}{dt}$

$F=v\dfrac{dm}{dt}$

$F=3.2\times 240$

F = 768 N

So, the magnitude of force need to keep the car is 768 N. Hence, this is the required solution.