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When turning to the right, the contact patches of the ________ will increase in size

User Morne
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Final answer:

The contact patches of the outside tires increase in size when turning to the right due to the shift in vehicle weight towards the outside, caused by the reaction to centripetal acceleration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When turning to the right, the contact patches of the outside tires will increase in size. This happens because the vehicle's weight shifts towards the outside due to centrifugal force (or, more accurately, the reaction to centripetal acceleration), which pushes objects outward when rotating around a point.

As the car makes a right turn, the left-hand side tires (which are the outside tires in this case) support more of the vehicle's weight, causing the contact patches of those tires to widen in response to increased downforce. This effect is particularly important in automotive engineering and race car dynamics, as it affects grip and handling.

User BasZero
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