Question

A race car is traveling around a circular track of radius R at a constant velocity v. Assume the car has a mass of M, the track is banked at an angle of Θ, and the coefficient of friction between the car and the track is μ. a) Draw a free body diagram of the forces involved.

Answer 1

Physics at the High School level involves understanding the forces acting on a race car traveling in circular motion on a banked track with friction, which include gravitational force, normal force, frictional force, and centripetal force.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of the question is Physics, and it is suitable for a High School level student. When a race car travels around a circular track, several forces act upon it. In the scenario provided, where the car is traveling at a constant velocity on a banked track with friction, we take into account the following forces: gravitational force (weight of the car), normal force exerted by the track, frictional force, and the centripetal force which is necessary for circular motion. In a free body diagram, the weight of the car would be represented as a vector pointing downwards, the normal force is represented as a vector perpendicular to the track surface, and the frictional force is along the plane of the track surface pointing towards the center of the curve. The centripetal force, necessary for the circular motion, would be the resultant force of the combination of friction and the component of the normal force in the horizontal plane towards the center of the circle.