Question

The New York Wheel is the world's largest Ferris wheel. It's 183 meters in diameter and rotates once every 37.3 min.

Answer 1

The radius of the Ferris wheel is r = 83/2 = 91.5 m.

The angular velocity is
ω = (2π rad)/(37.3*60 s) = 2.8075 rad/s
The tangential velocity is
v = rω = 0.2569 m/s

The arc length traveled in 8.6 min (= 8.6*60 s = 516 s) is
s = (91.5 m)*(2.8075 rad/s)*(516 s) = 132.553 m
The central angle swept is
θ = 132.553/91.5 = 1.4487 rad

From the vector diagram, the change in velocity is (from the Law of Cosines)
Δv² = v²(1 - 2 cosФ)
where Ф = Π - 1.4487 = 1.6929 rad
Δv² = 0.2569²[1 - 2*(-0.1218)] = 0.0821
Δv = 0.2865 m/s

The acceleration is
a₁ = (0.2865 m/s)/(516 s) = 5.6 x 10⁻⁴ m/s²

The actual centripetal acceleration is directed toward the center of the wheel, and its value is
a = v²/r = 0.2569²/91.5 = 7.2 x 10⁻⁴ m/s²

Answer: 
a = 7.2 x 10⁻⁴ m/s², the centripetal acceleration acting toward the center of the wheel.
The magnitude of a₁ is 5.6 x 10⁻⁴ m/s², but it is not directed toward the center of the wheel.