A snowplow is moving at a constant speed of 8 m/s, and the snow it is pushing is accumulating at a rate of 160 kg/s. What extra force is necessary for the engine of the snowplow to maintain constant speed despite the increasing mass?



Answer :

Answer:

  1280 N

Step-by-step explanation:

You want to know the force required to make a snowplow maintain a speed of 8 m/s while pushing snow accumulating at the rate of 160 kg/s.

Force

The force can be figured from the rate of change of momentum.

  F = (mv)' = m'v +mv'

Usually, the mass is constant, and the velocity is changing, so we write the equation as F = ma. Here, the velocity is constant and the mass is changing.

  F = (160 kg/s)(8 m/s) = 1280 kg·m/s² = 1280 N

The force necessary is 1280 newtons.