Question
Multiple-Choice questions
- A truck moves along a frictionless level road at a constant speed.
The truck is open on top. A large load of gravel is suddenly dumped into the truck. The velocity of the truck:
A. Increases.
B. Remains the same.
C. Decreases.
D. Immediately goes to zero.
A. Increases.
B. Remains the same.
C. Decreases.
D. Immediately goes to zero.
Ask by Carroll Bartlett. in the United States
Mar 30,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
C. Decreases.
Solution
The truck is moving at a constant speed on a frictionless level road. When a large load of gravel is dumped into the truck, we need to consider the principles of momentum and the effect of the added mass on the truck’s velocity.
According to the conservation of momentum, if no external forces act on a system, the total momentum of the system remains constant. In this case, the truck is initially moving with a certain momentum, and when the gravel is added, the total mass of the truck increases, but there are no external forces acting on it.
Since the truck’s momentum must remain constant and its mass increases due to the gravel, the velocity of the truck must decrease to maintain the same momentum. Therefore, the correct answer is that the velocity of the truck decreases.
According to the conservation of momentum, if no external forces act on a system, the total momentum of the system remains constant. In this case, the truck is initially moving with a certain momentum, and when the gravel is added, the total mass of the truck increases, but there are no external forces acting on it.
Since the truck’s momentum must remain constant and its mass increases due to the gravel, the velocity of the truck must decrease to maintain the same momentum. Therefore, the correct answer is that the velocity of the truck decreases.
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Simplify this solution Bonus Knowledge
When the truck dumps a large load of gravel into it, the total mass of the truck increases, but since the truck is moving on a frictionless surface at a constant speed before the gravel is loaded, momentum must be conserved. This means that while the truck’s speed may change slightly due to the added mass, it largely remains the same in the absence of any external forces. So the correct answer is B. Remains the same.
Listening closely to the principles of physics can help clarify such scenarios! For instance, remember that the momentum before the gravel is added must equal the momentum after – which gives a neat insight into how mass and motion interact without external forces messing things up.
