Question

A car of mass 1270 kg makes a 15.0 m radius turn at 11.8 m/s on flat ground. How much centripetal force acts on it?

Answer 1

Answer:

Centripetal force = 11789 N

Explanation:

Recall that the centripetal acceleration is defined as the square of the tangential velocity divided by the radius of the circular rotation. Then for our case, the centripetal acceleration is:

ac = (11.8 m/s)^2 / 15 m = 9.28266 m/s^2

then, such acceleration on a mass of 1270 kg will render a centripetal force of:

Fc = m * ac = 1270 * 9.28266 N = 11789 N