A-LevelMathematicsMechanics9709/43 · May/June 2025 · Q24 Marks

A van of mass 4500kg is towing a trailer of mass 350kg along a straight horizontal road. The van and trailer are connected by a light rigid tow-bar which is parallel to the road. There are resistance forces of XN on the van and 120N on the trailer. The driving force produced by the van's engine is 2500N. The tension in the tow-bar is TN, and the acceleration of the van is 0.4ms⁻².

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

[*M1] Attempt at Newton's Second law on either van, trailer or the system Must have correct number of terms. Allow sign errors. Dimensionally correct.
[A1] Any 2 correct equations.
[DM1] Attempt to solve for either T or X From equation(s) with correct number of dimensionally correct terms. Must get T = or X = .
[A1] T=260 X = 440 Both correct.

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Topic: Mechanics, A-Level Mathematics (syllabus 9709). Structured question, 4 marks.
Source: A-Level Mathematics, May/June 2025 Paper 4 Variant 3, question 2.

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