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Which has the greater centripetal acceleration, a car with a speed of \(15.0 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) along a circular track of radius \(100.0 \mathrm{m}\) or a car with a speed of \(12.0 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) along a circular track of radius \(75.0 \mathrm{m} ?\)

Short Answer

Expert verified
Car 1 has a greater centripetal acceleration of \(2.25 \mathrm{m/s^2}\) compared to Car 2's centripetal acceleration of \(1.92 \mathrm{m/s^2}\).

Step by step solution

01

Calculate the centripetal acceleration for Car 1

For Car 1, we are given a speed of \(15.0 m/s\) and a radius of \(100.0 m\). To calculate the centripetal acceleration, we plug these values into the formula: \[a_{c1} = \frac{(15.0 \mathrm{m/s})^2}{100.0 \mathrm{m}}\]
02

Solve for the centripetal acceleration of Car 1

To solve for \(a_{c1}\), square the speed and then divide by the radius: \[a_{c1} = \frac{225 \mathrm{m^2/s^2}}{100.0 \mathrm{m}} = 2.25 \mathrm{m/s^2}\]
03

Calculate the centripetal acceleration for Car 2

For Car 2, we are given a speed of \(12.0 m/s\) and a radius of \(75.0 m\). To calculate the centripetal acceleration, we plug these values into the formula: \[a_{c2} = \frac{(12.0 \mathrm{m/s})^2}{75.0 \mathrm{m}}\]
04

Solve for the centripetal acceleration of Car 2

To solve for \(a_{c2}\), square the speed and then divide by the radius: \[a_{c2} = \frac{144 \mathrm{m^2/s^2}}{75.0 \mathrm{m}} = 1.92 \mathrm{m/s^2}\]
05

Compare the centripetal accelerations

Now that we have the centripetal accelerations for both cars, we can compare them: Car 1: \(a_{c1} = 2.25 \mathrm{m/s^2}\) Car 2: \(a_{c2} = 1.92 \mathrm{m/s^2}\) Since \(a_{c1} > a_{c2}\), Car 1 has a greater centripetal acceleration.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Uniform Circular Motion
When an object moves along a circular path with a constant speed, it experiences what's known as uniform circular motion. Despite the speed being constant, the velocity is not. This is because velocity is a vector quantity, encompassing both speed and direction. As the object moves around the circle, its direction changes continuously, which means that it is undergoing acceleration. This specific type of acceleration, always pointing towards the center of the circle, is called centripetal acceleration.

Considering the exercise at hand, the cars on their respective circular tracks demonstrate uniform circular motion. The key to understanding this concept is to remember that while speed may remain unchanged, the continuous change in direction is what suggests ongoing acceleration, essential in keeping the cars on the circular path.
Kinematics in Physics
Kinematics is a branch of physics that deals with the motion of objects without considering the forces that cause this motion. It encompasses concepts such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time. Acceleration is a particularly interesting concept within kinematics, as it refers to the rate at which an object changes its velocity.

In our comparison of cars on tracks, we look at how their velocities change direction, requiring a view into kinematics to determine their accelerations. While the formula for acceleration is straightforward when dealing with linear motion, circular motion introduces the necessity for centripetal acceleration, highlighting the kinematic relationships in rotational contexts.
Acceleration Formulas
Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity per unit time and is usually calculated with the formula a = Δv/Δt, where a is acceleration, Δv is the change in velocity, and Δt is the change in time. However, for objects in uniform circular motion, we use the centripetal acceleration formula:\[ a_c = \frac{v^2}{r} \]Here, a_c is the centripetal acceleration, v is the constant speed of the object, and r is the radius of the circular path.

In applying this to our exercise, the centripetal accelerations of both cars on their tracks have been calculated using their speeds and the radii of their circular paths. The car with the greater result for such a calculation is the one experiencing the greater centripetal acceleration. This example illustrates the practical application of acceleration formulas to understand and compare the conditions of motion in different scenarios.

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