A tractor tows a loaded trailer out of a field on a taut hitch. The tractor speeds up, and the trailer speeds up with it.
Not roughly with it: exactly with it.
As long as the hitch stays taut and does not stretch, the two cannot drift apart or crash together. So their velocities change in step.
Suppose the tractor gained speed faster than the trailer. The gap would grow, and the hitch would have to stretch.
Suppose the trailer gained speed faster instead. The gap would close, and the hitch would go slack.
A taut, unstretching hitch allows neither. So the tractor and the trailer accelerate in step at every moment.
A pickup tows a kayak trailer with a taut, unstretching hitch. The pickup's acceleration is 2.0 m/s². What is the trailer's acceleration?
A crate pushed along while touching the crate ahead of it works the same way. While the two stay in contact, the gap cannot change, so they share one acceleration magnitude.
A slack rope breaks the link. With no taut connector, nothing ties the two accelerations together.
A tugboat and the loaded ship it tows accelerate together on a taut tow line that does not stretch. Why must their accelerations be equal?
A rope joins two sleds, and it stays taut without stretching while Casper tows the front sled. Must the two sleds have the same acceleration magnitude?
Here is the general rule.
A tractor accelerates at 1.8 m/s² while towing a trailer on a taut, unstretching hitch. State the trailer's acceleration.
The hitch is taut and does not stretch.
So the tractor and the trailer share one acceleration magnitude.
The trailer accelerates at 1.8 m/s².
A forklift bumper drives a crate forward, and that crate pushes a second crate ahead of it. The three stay in contact while the forklift accelerates at 0.9 m/s². State the front crate's acceleration.
The objects stay in contact while they move.
Objects pushed while staying in contact share one acceleration magnitude.
The front crate accelerates at 0.9 m/s².
In which of the following cases MUST the two objects share one acceleration magnitude?
A worker's crate pushes a second crate ahead of it, and the two stay in contact. The rear crate accelerates at 1.5 m/s². What is the front crate's acceleration?
Two boxes are joined by a cord, and the pair speeds up behind a tow rope. The cord stays taut and does not stretch. Which statement is correct?