Question

Tom and Mary are riding a merry-go-round. Tom is on a horse about half way between the center and the outer rim, and Mary is on a horse at the outer rim.a) Which child has the larger angular speed? Explainb) Which child has the larger linear speed? Explainc) Which child has the larger radial acceleration? Explain

Answer 1

a) Both have same angular speed

b) Mary has larger linear speed

c) Mary has larger radial acceleration

Step-by-step explanation:

a) Since Tom and Mary are both on the same merry-go-around, all points on the merry-go-around are subjected to a same angular speed. Therefore, they both have the same angular speed.

b) Linear speed, however, is the product of angular speed and their radius or rotation, aka their distance the the center of rotation. In this case Mary has a larger radius since she's sitting at the outer rim.

c) Radical acceleration is the product of angular speed squared and their radius so again, Mary would have a larger radial acceleration because of greater radius.