Final answer:
When towing a trailer, 10 to 15 percent of the total weight should be on the vehicle's hitch. If a trailer bounces up and down, it is likely nearly empty because a heavy load would dampen such movement. Calculations involving forces on a towing system require Newton's second law and are affected by the distribution of resisting forces.
Step-by-step explanation:
When towing a trailer, it is important to ensure that the trailer's load is properly balanced. Typically, about 10 to 15 percent of the total trailer weight should be on the vehicle's trailer hitch. This ensures stability and control during transportation on a highway. If the load is not properly balanced, it can lead to handling problems and can be dangerous.
If a freight truck's trailer is bouncing up and down slowly on the highway, it is likely that the trailer is nearly empty. A heavily loaded trailer has more mass, causing the suspension to compress, which in turn helps to dampen and minimize bounces. In contrast, an empty trailer has less weight to compress the suspension, leading to more noticeable bounces.
Considering a 1100-kg car pulling a boat on a trailer where the mass of the boat plus trailer is 700 kg and the car exerts a 1900-N force with an acceleration of 0.550 m/s², we can calculate the resisting force and the force in the hitch. The total force resists the motion of the car, boat, and trailer can be calculated using Newton's second law, F = ma, where 'm' is the total mass and 'a' is the acceleration. To calculate the force in the hitch, we can apply the information that 80% of the resisting forces are experienced by the boat and trailer.