Question

A fairgrounds ride spins its occupants inside a flying saucer-shaped container. if the horizontal circular path the riders follow has a 5.00 m radius, at how many revolutions per minute will the riders be subjected to a centripetal acceleration whose magnitude is 1.50 times that due to gravity?

Answer 1

We know that the acceleration due to gravity g is: g = 9.81 m/s^2

So the centripetal acceleration (w) is:

w^2 = 1.5 g / r

w^2 = 1.5 * (9.81 m/s^2) / 5 m

w = 1.716 rad / s

To convert to rad to rev:

w = (1.716 rad / s) * (1 rev / 2π rad) * (60 s/min)

w = 16.4 rev/min