Question

Formula one race cars are capable of remarkable accelerations when speeding up, slowing down, and turning corners. At one track, cars round a corner that is a segment of a circle of radius 85 m at a speed of 68 m/s. What is the approximate magnitude of the centripetal acceleration in units of g?

A 1g
B 2g
C 3g
d 4g
e 5g

Answer 1

The approximate magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of a Formula One car rounding a corner with a radius of 85 m at a speed of 68 m/s is approximately 5.5g.

Step-by-step explanation:

The centripetal acceleration of a Formula One car rounding a corner can be calculated using the formula:

ac = v² / r

where ac is the centripetal acceleration, v is the velocity of the car, and r is the radius of the corner.

In this case, the speed of the car is given as 68 m/s and the radius of the corner is 85 m. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:

ac = (68 m/s)² / 85 m = 54.08 m/s²

To convert this acceleration to units of g, we simply divide by the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.8 m/s². Dividing 54.08 m/s² by 9.8 m/s² gives us an approximate answer of 5.5g.