- #1
Rick16
- 70
- 22
I have run into some serious confusion with a seemingly very simple problem: A car is going around a circular track, the road is banked, and there is no friction. For this case all texts state that the centripetal force is caused by the normal force, i. e. by the radial component of the normal force. Now, here is my problem:
When the car sits still on the banked road surface, the normal force acting on the car is clearly less than the car’s weight. When the car is moving, the normal force acting on the car is greater than the car’s weight. What causes this increase in the normal force? It would seem that the circular motion causes the increase. This increased normal force then causes the centripetal acceleration which causes the circular motion. So, which was first, the hen or the egg? I am really confused here.
When the car sits still on the banked road surface, the normal force acting on the car is clearly less than the car’s weight. When the car is moving, the normal force acting on the car is greater than the car’s weight. What causes this increase in the normal force? It would seem that the circular motion causes the increase. This increased normal force then causes the centripetal acceleration which causes the circular motion. So, which was first, the hen or the egg? I am really confused here.