Question

A car initially travels north at a constant speed. As the car starts to make a left turn without changing speed, along a circular curve, a package on the seat of the car begins to slide toward the right side of the car. Which of the following is true of the net force on the package while it is sliding?

a) The net force acts to the left
b) The net force acts to the right
c) The net force is zero
d) The net force is upward

Answer 1

The net force on the sliding package is zero.

Step-by-step explanation:

The net force on the package while it is sliding is zero (c).

When the car makes a left turn without changing speed along a circular curve, the package on the seat of the car experiences a pseudo force called the centrifugal force, which acts toward the right side of the car. However, in the frame of reference of the car, the package appears to slide toward the right side due to this pseudo force. In reality, the package is actually moving in a straight line with a constant velocity, and the net force on it is zero because its motion is not changing.

This is because any object moving in a circular path experiences a centripetal force, which is directed toward the center of the circular path. In this scenario, the friction force between the package and the seat of the car points to the left, providing the necessary centripetal force for the package to move along the circular path with the car.