Question

A car is going along a circular road at a constant speed. The radius of the curve is 242 m, and the car takes 1.3 minutes to complete one round. Calculate its centripetal acceleration in m/s^2

Answer 1

Answer:

$a_c=1.57\frac{m}{s^2}$

Explanation:

In order to find its centripetal acceleration we need to use the next equation:

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

So, we need to find its velocity in first place. Considering that the time T required for one complete revolution is called the period. For  constant speed is given by:

$T=\frac{2\pi r}{v}$

Solving for v, considering that in this case T=1.3min=78s, and r=242

$v=\frac{2\pi *(242)}{78} =19.49398518m/s$

Finally, replacing v in the centripetal acceleration equation:

$a_c=\frac{(19.49398518)^{2} }{242}=1.570311811m/s^2$