40.6k views
3 votes
A bicyclist starting at rest produces a constant angular

acceleration of 1.20 rad/s2 for wheels that are 35.0 cm
in radius.What is the bicycle's linear acceleration (in m/s²)?
(Enter the magnitude.)

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

To convert the given angular acceleration of 1.20 rad/s² to linear acceleration for a bicycle wheel with a radius of 35.0 cm, use the equation a = αr to get a linear acceleration of 0.42 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns the relationship between angular acceleration and linear acceleration in the context of a bicycle wheel. To determine the bicycle's linear acceleration given a constant angular acceleration of 1.20 rad/s² for wheels with a radius of 35.0 cm, one must use the equation a = αr, where a is the linear acceleration, α is the angular acceleration, and r is the radius of the wheel converted to meters. With the radius given as 35.0 cm, we must first convert this to meters by dividing by 100, giving us a radius of 0.35 m. Using the formula provided, we get a linear acceleration of a = (1.20 rad/s²) × 0.35 m = 0.42 m/s², which is the bicycle's linear acceleration.

User Viet Dinh
by
8.3k points