Question

An airplane flies in a horizontal circle of radius 500 m at a speed of 150 m/s. If the radius were changed to 1000 m, but the speed remained the same, by what factor would its centripetal acceleration change?

Answer 1

Answer:

The centripetal acceleration changed by a factor of 0.5

Explanation:

Given;

first radius of the horizontal circle, r₁ = 500 m

speed of the airplane, v = 150 m/s

second radius of the airplane, r₂ = 1000 m

Centripetal acceleration is given as;

$a = \frac{v^2}{r}$

At constant speed, we will have;

$v^2 =ar\\\\v = \sqrt{ar}\\\\at \ constant\ v;\\\sqrt{a_1r_1} = \sqrt{a_2r_2}\\\\a_1r_1 = a_2r_2\\\\a_2 = \frac{a_1r_1}{r_2} \\\\a_2 = \frac{a_1*500}{1000}\\\\a_2 = \frac{a_1}{2} \\\\a_2 = \frac{1}{2} a_1$

a₂ = 0.5a₁

Therefore, the centripetal acceleration changed by a factor of 0.5