Question

A 500 kg car moves around a circular track with a radius of 10 m at a constant speed of 10 m/s. What is the amount of centripetal force causing the car to move in a circle?

a) 250 N
b) 5,000 N
c) 0 N
d) 750 N

Answer 1

The centripetal force acting on a 500 kg car moving at a constant speed of 10 m/s around a 10 m radius track is calculated using the formula F = m(v^2/r) and is found to be 5,000 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the centripetal force acting on a car moving around a circular track. To calculate this force, we use the formula for centripetal force, which is F = m(v^2/r), where m is the mass of the car, v is the velocity, and r is the radius of the circular path.

For the given problem:

• Mass (m) = 500 kg,
• Velocity (v) = 10 m/s,
• Radius (r) = 10 m.

Plugging these values into the formula gives us:

F = 500 kg (10 m/s)^2 / 10 m = 5000 N.

Therefore, the centripetal force causing the car to move in a circle is b) 5,000 N.