TRUCK AND TRAILER 1

Type the formula for the trailer. Click "Test":   x(t) =  

 

Mr. Kambule is heading out for a weekend camping trip with his family. He needs his trailer hooked up to his truck. Hook it up for him: type the correct formula of motion for the trailer in the box and click "Test".

You can try to find the correct formula for the trailer by trial-and-improvement - if the two vehicles do not move together so that the hookups match exactly, it is not correct. Then change your formula. Make sure that you use * for multiplication and t for the variable.

But it is much more efficient to find the formula algebraically. To do this, you should first make sure whether the motion is linear or quadratic. If it is linear, the formula is of the form x(t) = x0 + vt, and you may probably already know that x0 is the start position and v is the constant speed. You can find these values through measurement - simply click in the animation and read the necessary co-ordinates. Note that the position of the truck and the trailer is taken at their front wheels.

At what speed is Mr. Kambule travelling?