Question

Using F=ma, explain why a train is more difficult to start moving and more difficult to bring to a stop than an average sized car.

Answer 1

Answer:

M_Train>> m_car    a_train <a_car

Explanation:

To start the movement of the train or the car, the motorcycle applies a force on the wheels, which starts the acceleration in the case of the train, it has a much greater mass than that of the car, for which to obtain the same acceleration necessary a much greater force

         a = F / m

as the mass of the train is greater than that of the car.

         a_train <a_car

Something similar happens when the vehicles stop, the engine stops applying force forward and the brakes apply a force backward that creates a negative acceleration that slows down, again as the mass of the train is much greater than the of the car its negative acceleration is much less.

   

It is good to clarify that to compensate for this the trains have a braking system on all wheels