Question

You are a passenger in a car and not wearing your seat belt. Without increasing or decreasing its speed, the car makes a sharp left turn, and you find yourself colliding with the right-hand door. Which is the correct analysis of the situation?a. During the turn, there is a rightward force pushing you into the door. b. During the turn, the door exerts a leftward force on you. c. both of the above. d. neither of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

b) During the turn, the door exerts a leftward force on you.

Explanation:

Although at the curve the car makes a turn without deceleration or accelerating, we must consider the fact that the direction of the instantaneous velocity of the car, which is always pointing tangentially away from the curve, is changing, producing a centripetal acceleration (acceleration is the rate of change of velocity) towards the center of the curve. The result is that a force inwards towards the center of the curve from the door, is exerted on you in the leftwards direction when your body collides with the door.