Question

Suppose the catapult arm has a length of R = 3 m, and the pumpkin undergoes uniform circular motion with an acceleration of a = 75 m/s² before it is launched. What is the speed of the pumpkin at the moment it is launched?

A) 5 m/s
B) 15 m/s
C) 25 m/s
D) 45 m/s
E) 75 m/s

Answer 1

The speed of the pumpkin when it is launched is 15 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the speed of the pumpkin when it is launched, we can use the centripetal acceleration formula:

ac = v2/r

Here, r is the length of the catapult arm (3 m) and ac is the given acceleration (75 m/s²). Rearranging the formula, we get:

v = sqrt(ac * r)

Plugging in the values, we get v = sqrt(75 * 3) = sqrt(225) = 15 m/s.