Question

Railroad cars are loosely coupled so that there is a noticeable time delay from the time the first and last car is moved from rest by the locomotive. Discuss the advisability of this loose coupling and slack between cars from the point of view of impulse and momentum.

Answer 1

Answer:

Without this slack, a locomotive might simply sit still and spin its wheels. The loose coupling enables a longer time for the entire train to gain momentum, requiring less force of the locomotive wheels against the track. In this way, the overall required impulse is broken into a series of smaller impulses. (This loose coupling can be very important for braking as well).

Explanation: