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Chapter 2: Problem 21

As any car travels with constant velocity on a straight, flat section of highway, the road still exerts both a vertical (upward or downward) force and a horizontal (forward or backward) force on the car. Which direction is each of these forces?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The forces exerted by the road on the car are a vertical force acting upward, opposing gravity, and a horizontal force acting backward, equal and opposite to the friction between the car's tires and the road.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the vertical forces

The car is on the road, and there is a force acting on it because of its interaction with the road. This force is called the normal force, and it acts perpendicular to the surface of the road. Since the road is flat, the normal force acts vertically and opposes the gravitational force acting on the car which is also in the vertical direction, downward. Thus, the vertical force exerted by the road on the car is upward.
02

Identify the horizontal forces

The horizontal force on the car is due to its motion, which is caused by the interaction between the car's tires and the road. The car is traveling with a constant velocity, which means there is no acceleration in the horizontal direction. This also means that the horizontal force exerted by the road on the car is equal but opposite to the frictional force between the car's tires and the road, so the net horizontal force is zero. Since the car is moving forward, the frictional force exerted by the road acts backward.
03

Summary of the forces

To sum up, there are two forces exerted by the road on the car: a vertical force that acts upward, opposing gravity, and a horizontal force that acts backward, equal and opposite to the friction between the car's tires and the road. The net horizontal force is zero, which is consistent with the constant velocity of the car.

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