What Angle Does the Block Hang at When the Van Rounds a Curve?

[livblue23]

Homework Statement

A block is hung by a string from ther inside roof of a van. When the van goes straight ahead, at a speed of 28 m/s, the block hangs vertically down. But when the van rounds a curve, the block swings toward the outside of the curve, making an angle with its previous position. Determine the angle at which this block hangs.

Homework Equations

Fx=ms, FTx=ma, Fy=may, Fty=mg

The Attempt at a Solution

okay, so i know that i use FW=mg and a=v2/r to find the two numbers that i will eventually use to find the inverse tangent of the angle... but how do i get the mass for FW=mg, how would i find the mass so i can finish this problem.

 

[LowlyPion]

Homework Statement

A block is hung by a string from ther inside roof of a van. When the van goes straight ahead, at a speed of 28 m/s, the block hangs vertically down. But when the van rounds a curve, the block swings toward the outside of the curve, making an angle with its previous position. Determine the angle at which this block hangs.

Homework Equations

Fx=ms, FTx=ma, Fy=may, Fty=mg

The Attempt at a Solution

okay, so i know that i use FW=mg and a=v2/r to find the two numbers that i will eventually use to find the inverse tangent of the angle... but how do i get the mass for FW=mg, how would i find the mass so i can finish this problem.

Maybe approach it a little more simply and treat the accelerations acting on the block as a vector addition problem?

 

[thomate1]

As a scientist, you are on the right track in using the equations Fx=ms, FTx=ma, Fy=may, and Fty=mg to solve this problem. To find the mass, you can use the equation Fty=mg, where Fty is the force of tension in the string and mg is the force of gravity. The force of tension can be found by using the equation FTx=ma, where FTx is the horizontal component of the force of tension and a is the acceleration. Since the van is moving at a constant speed and the block is hanging vertically, there is no net force acting on the block in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the horizontal component of the force of tension is equal to 0. This means that the force of tension is equal to the force of gravity, or Fty=mg. You can then rearrange this equation to solve for the mass, m=Fty/g. Once you have the mass, you can use the equation a=v^2/r to find the acceleration, and then plug that into the equation Fx=ma to find the horizontal component of the force of tension. Finally, you can use the inverse tangent function to find the angle at which the block hangs. I hope this helps you solve the problem!