Help! Grade 12 Physics Question on Centripetal Acceleration

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In summary, the conversation is about a physics problem involving a race car on a banked turn. The question is to calculate the radius of curvature, centripetal acceleration, and force of static friction. The conversation ends with the realization that the question is flawed and missing data.
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Fittler
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A little confused...

Allright, I am doing Grade 12 University Prep. Physics, and I am almost finished the 4th Lesson. But I hit this one question and I am little stumped, my teacher does not com in for 15 minutes or so, so I thought maybe you guys would like to help me.

The initial scenario is this: A race car driver is driving her car at a record breaking speed of 225 km/h = 62.5m/s. The first turn on the course is banked at 15(deg), and the cars mass is 1450kg.

a) Calculate the radius of the curvature for this turn.

Which I did, no problem.

b) Calculate the centripetal acceleration of the car.

Again, no problem.

c) If the car maintains a circular track around the curve, what is the mganitude of the force of static friction?

So I calculated to force of static friction, which ended up being 0.27.

d) What is the coefficient of static friction necessary to ensure the safety of this turn?

Now I am stumped, didn't I just answer this question? Or rather how would I anser this question?

Thanks in advance.
 
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  • #2
The force of static friction is measured in Newtons, it's what acts on the car to keep it from sliding. The coefficient of static friction is a dimensionless number, usually less than 1. I can tell you right now that a car's friction force will be quite a bit greater than 0.27N...
 
  • #3
Hahaha. You know what? I figured it out like right after I posted this. Thanks. Everything is fine now:)
 
  • #4
You figured it out eih? Well my friend this question if FLAWED. Yepp, it is MISSING DATA. There is no way you can determine r with the data given. So whatever u figured out, u figured out wrong :)
 

Related to Help! Grade 12 Physics Question on Centripetal Acceleration

1. What is centripetal acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration of an object moving in a circular path. It is always directed towards the center of the circle and its magnitude is given by the formula a = v^2/r, where v is the velocity of the object and r is the radius of the circle.

2. How is centripetal acceleration related to centripetal force?

Centripetal acceleration is directly proportional to the centripetal force acting on an object. This means that as the force increases, the acceleration also increases. The two are related by the formula F = ma, where F is the centripetal force, m is the mass of the object, and a is the centripetal acceleration.

3. Does the centripetal acceleration change if the speed of the object changes?

Yes, the centripetal acceleration changes if the speed of the object changes. As the speed increases, the acceleration also increases, and vice versa. This is because the acceleration is directly proportional to the square of the speed (a = v^2/r).

4. Is centripetal acceleration a vector or a scalar quantity?

Centripetal acceleration is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. Its direction is always towards the center of the circle, and its magnitude is given by the formula a = v^2/r.

5. How is centripetal acceleration different from tangential acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration of an object towards the center of a circular path, while tangential acceleration is the acceleration of an object along the tangent to the circle. These two types of acceleration are perpendicular to each other, and together they make up the total acceleration of the object moving in a circular path.

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