Final answer:
Cars can navigate racetracks at high speeds without skidding due to tire friction and track banking, both of which provide the essential grip and force needed to prevent sliding especially in steeply banked and sharp curves.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cars are able to travel on a racetrack at very high speeds without skidding due to the forces acting on the vehicle as it moves around the track, particularly tire friction and the banking of the track. The importance of tire friction cannot be overstated as it provides the necessary grip that prevents the car from sliding outward due to the centrifugal force experienced during turns. Moreover, the banking of the track, often seen at venues like the Daytona International Speedway, is designed such that it provides an additional component of normal force, which acts towards the center of the curve, effectively increasing the maximum speed at which the car can navigate the turn without losing traction.
A race car is considered to be accelerating even at constant speed because acceleration is a vector quantity that considers changes in direction as well as changes in speed. When a car goes around a curve, there is a constant change in direction, hence there is a centripetal acceleration towards the center of the curve, maintaining the circular motion.
Significance of Tire Friction and Banking
The significance of tire friction and banking comes into play particularly at high speeds as these factors allow a racecar to take steeply banked and sharp curves like those found on certain racetracks. Without sufficient tire friction and appropriate banking angles, cars would not be able to maintain the necessary adherence to the surface of the racetrack at speeds upwards of 165 km/h, indicative of the conditions necessary to prevent skidding.