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An aerobatic airplane pilot experiences

weightlessness as she passes over the top of
a loop-the-loop maneuver.
The acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2.
If her speed is 450 m/s at this time, find the radius of the loop.
Answer in units of km.

User Zynk
by
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1 Answer

4 votes
To find the radius of the loop, we can use the relationship between the acceleration of gravity, the speed of the airplane, and the radius of the loop. This relationship is given by:

g = (v^2) / r

Where g is the acceleration due to gravity, v is the speed of the airplane, and r is the radius of the loop.

We know that the acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2, and the speed of the airplane is 450 m/s. We can substitute these values into the equation and solve for r:

9.8 = (450^2) / r

r = (450^2) / 9.8

r = (450 x 450) / 9.8

r = (202,500) / 9.8

r = 20,714.2857 m

To convert meters to kilometers, we divide the value by 1000.

r = 20.7142857 km