Question

A car of mass m, traveling at constant speed, rides over the top of a round hill. How do the normal force of the road on the car and the gravitational force of the Earth on the car compare at this point?A. N > mg B. N < mg C. N = mg

Answer 1

The normal force of the road on the car and the gravitational force of the Earth on the car are equal at the top of the round hill.

Step-by-step explanation:

The normal force of the road on the car and the gravitational force of the Earth on the car are equal at the top of the round hill. The normal force, represented by N, is the force exerted by a surface to support the weight of an object resting on it. In this case, the normal force is equal to the car's weight, which is equal to the product of its mass (m) and the acceleration due to gravity (g).

Therefore, the correct answer is C. N = mg.

Answer 2

The normal force will be lower than the gravitational force acting on the car. Therefore the answer is N < mg, which is option B.

Step-by-step explanation:

Over a round hill, the centripetal force acting toward the the radius of the hill supports the gravitational force (mg) of the car. This notion can be expressed mathematically as follows:

At the top of a round hill

`Normal force = Gravitational force - centripetal force`

At the foot of a round hill

`Normal Force = centripetal force + Gravitational force`