Question

The Large Hadron Collider is a tube formed into a circular loop measuring 4.3 km in diameter. It is used by physicists to accelerate atoms into each other to break them apart and observe new subatomic particles. An atom is accelerated 240 degrees around the loop before colliding with another atom. What is the distance that the atom traveled? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth. Units not necessary.

Answer 1

9005.90 m

Explanation:

The radius of the collider is half the diameter or 2150 m. The arc length S subtended by the angle is given by

S = r×(theta) where theta is the angle in radians. We need to convert the degree angle into radian angle using the following:

240° × (2pi/360°) = 4.19 radians

Therefore, the distance traveled by the atoms is so equal to the arc length S so

S = (2150 m)×(4.19 rad) = 9005.90 m