A car moves in a circular path of radius 50 m with a constant speed of 20 m/s. W
Practice Questions
Q1
A car moves in a circular path of radius 50 m with a constant speed of 20 m/s. What is the centripetal acceleration?
4 m/s²
8 m/s²
10 m/s²
16 m/s²
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A car moves in a circular path of radius 50 m with a constant speed of 20 m/s. What is the centripetal acceleration?
Step 1: Identify the formula for centripetal acceleration, which is a_c = v²/r.
Step 2: Determine the values needed for the formula. Here, the speed (v) is 20 m/s and the radius (r) is 50 m.
Step 3: Substitute the values into the formula: a_c = (20 m/s)² / (50 m).
Step 4: Calculate (20 m/s)², which equals 400 m²/s².
Step 5: Divide 400 m²/s² by 50 m to find the centripetal acceleration: 400 m²/s² / 50 m = 8 m/s².
Centripetal Acceleration – Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration directed towards the center of a circular path, necessary for an object to maintain circular motion.
Uniform Circular Motion – The motion of an object traveling at a constant speed along a circular path, where the direction of the velocity vector changes continuously.
Formula Application – Understanding and applying the formula for centripetal acceleration, a_c = v²/r, where v is the linear speed and r is the radius of the circular path.
