Final answer:
The towing device that lifts one end of a vehicle by the wheels is a wheel lift. It uses a metal yoke and hydraulic lift to elevate the vehicle's wheels off the ground. Physics principles such as static friction and forces are applied to evaluate vehicle acceleration and the potential for cargo to slip during movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The towing device that lifts one end of the towed vehicle by the wheels is known as a wheel lift. This type of towing involves fitting a metal yoke under the wheels of the vehicle and lifting them off the ground using a hydraulic or pneumatic lift. The other end of the vehicle remains on the ground, and the vehicle is then towed by the wheel lift device. In physics, when analyzing forces and motion such as a truck moving down a hill, or the acceleration of a vehicle on a surface, principles from Newton's laws of motion are often applied. For example, the maximum acceleration a vehicle can achieve can be determined by the static frictional force between its drive wheels and the surface, which is also related to the weight or mass of the vehicle exerting a force due to gravity. If we consider a 1.00 × 10³ kg utility truck with half of its weight supported by its two drive wheels, we calculate the maximum acceleration by dividing the static frictional force by the mass on the drive wheels. When considering the metal cabinet lying on the wooden bed of the truck, it will slip if the static friction between the cabinet and the bed is less than the force required to accelerate it at the same rate as the truck. Regarding a four-wheel-drive truck, the weight is distributed across all four wheels, improving traction, and potentially leading to a higher maximum acceleration without causing the cabinet to slip, depending on the frictional forces involved.