Question

The California sea lion is capable of making extremely fast, tight turns while swimming underwater. In one study, scientists observed a sea lion making a circular turn with a radius of 0.37 m while swimming at 4.0 m/s.
What is the sea lion's centripetal acceleration, in units of g?

What percentage is this acceleration of that of an F-15 fighter jet's maximum centripetal acceleration of 9g?

Answer 1

Answer:

Acceleration of Sea Lion is 4.41 g

This is 49% of maximum jet acceleration given as a = 9g

Explanation:

As we know that the radius of the circular loop is given as

R = 0.37 m

The speed of the fish is given as

$v = 4 m/s$

Now the centripetal acceleration of the sea lion is given as

$a_c = \frac{v^2}{R}$

$a_c = \frac{4^2}{0.37}$

$a_c = 43.2 m/s^2$

as we know that

$g = 9.8 m/s^2$

so we have

$a = 4.41 g$

Now Percentage of this acceleration wrt maximum jet acceleration is given as

$P = \frac{4.41 g}{9g} \times 100$

$P = 49$%