Question

A truck loaded with sand accelerates along a highway. The driving force on the truck remains constant. What happens to the acceleration of the truck as its trailer leaks sand at a constant rate through a hole in its bottom?

Answer 1

Answer:

Acceleration will increase.

Explanation:

The relation between force, mass and acceleration according to the Newton's second law of motion is given as:

F = ma

We are given that the driving force on the truck remains constant, so F is constant here. We can rewrite the above equation as:

$a=\frac{F}{m}$

Since, F is constant, the acceleration of the truck is inversely proportional to the mass.

There is a hole at the bottom of the truck through which the sand is being lost at a constant rate. Since, the sand is being lost, the overall mass of the truck is being reduced.

Since, the acceleration of the truck is inversely proportional to the mass, the reduced mass will result in an increased acceleration.

So, the acceleration of the truck will increase.