Question

A 2.50 kg ball is attached to a 3.00 m bar and swung in a vertical circle. If the ball does not leave the circular loop, what minimum speed must it have at the top of the arc?

Answer 1

5.42 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

At minimum speed, the tension in the bar will be 0 when the ball is at the top of the arc, so the only force is gravity pulling down.

Sum of forces towards the center of the circle:

∑F = ma

mg = m v²/r

v = √(gr)

v = √(9.8 m/s² × 3.00 m)

v = 5.42 m/s