A 1,000-kg car drives at 10 m/s around a circle with a radius of 50 m. What is the centripetal acceleration of the car?

Question

A 1,000-kg car drives at 10 m/s around a circle with a radius of 50 m. What is the centripetal acceleration of the car??  
A. 2 m/s²  
B. 4 m/s²  
C. 5 m/s²  
D. 10 m/s²

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: (A)2 m/s². 
Rationale: A 1,000-kg car traveling at 10 m/s around a 50-meter radius curve experiences a centripetal acceleration of 2 m/s².This value arises from the kinematic relationship a_c = v² / r, which depends only on speed and radius, not mass.A) 2 m/s²Substituting into the formula gives a_c = (10 m/s)² / 50 m = 100 / 50 = 2 m/s². This moderate acceleration is typical for highway curves and reflects the inward pull required to maintain circular motion.B) 4 m/s²This would require either doubling the speed or halving the radius. It does not correspond to the given parameters and overestimates the acceleration.C) 5 m/s²This results from invalid operations such as dividing speed by radius (10 ÷ 2) or other arithmetic errors. It lacks foundation in circular motion physics.D) 10 m/s²This equals gravitational acceleration and would occur only at much higher speeds (approximately 22.4 m/s). It is inconsistent with the stated velocity and radius.ConclusionCentripetal acceleration is determined solely by speed and radius, yielding 2 m/s². The correct answer is A) 2 m/s².

A 1,000-kg car drives at 10 m/s around a circle with a radius of 50 m. What is the centripetal acceleration of the car?

A
2 m/s²

B
4 m/s²

C
5 m/s²

D
10 m/s²

A 1,000-kg car traveling at 10 m/s around a 50-meter radius curve experiences a centripetal acceleration of 2 m/s².

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Related Questions

A 1,000-kg car drives at 10 m/s around a circle with a radius of 50 m. What is the centripetal acceleration of the car?

A 2 m/s² B 4 m/s² C 5 m/s² D 10 m/s²

A 1,000-kg car traveling at 10 m/s around a 50-meter radius curve experiences a centripetal acceleration of 2 m/s².

Topic Flashcards

Mini Quiz

Related Questions

A
2 m/s²

B
4 m/s²

C
5 m/s²

D
10 m/s²