Question

Samantha wants to determine the force she feels in her car as she's going around a corner. What would be some of the assumptions (at least 3) she would need to make in order to find the force?

Answer 1

To determine the Force it is necessary that Samantha starts from the consideration of the dynamic balance between the forces acting on the car. For this, the centripetal force must be equal to the friction force (otherwise the car would lose contact with the ground), the expression of these two forces would be

$F_f = F_c$

$\mu_k mg = \frac{mv^2}{r}$

Here,

$\mu_k$ = Coefficient of kinematic friction

m = mass

g = Acceleration due to gravity

v = Velocity

r = Radius

From this relationship then she should assume the following

1) The car travels at a constant speed

2) There is indeed that frictional force between the car and the road

3) There is no loss of mass during displacement

4) The centripetal force must be equal to the frictional force so that the car does not lose contact or slip

5) The radius must be constant