It\'s possible for a determined group of people to pull an aircraft. Drag is neg

Question

It's possible for a determined group of people to pull an aircraft. Drag is negligible at low speeds, and the only force impeding motion is the rolling friction of the rubber tires on the concrete runway. In 2000, a team of 60 British police officers set a world record by pulling a Boeing 747, with a mass of 200,000 kg, a distance of 100 m in 53 s. The plane started at rest. Suppose that ?r=0.02.

1) Estimate the force with which each officer pulled on the plane, assuming constant pulling force and constant acceleration.

Explanation / Answer

Assuming constant acceleration the plane travellled a distance of 100m in 53s
initiall speed = 0

s = 100m
t = 53 s

using s = ut + 1/2at^2
100 = 0.5*a*53*53
therefore a = 0.0712 m/s^2

Now let the total force be applied be by the police officers be F
then
F - umg = ma
F = m(ug + a)

therefore
F = 53440 N

therefore force applied by each police officer
F/60 = 890.67 N (Answer)

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.