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Verticla
Verticla
1. Sue whirls a yo-yo in a horizontal circle. The yo-yo has a mass of 0.20 kg and
is attached to a string 0.80 m long.
a. If the yo-yo makes 1.0 complete revolution each second, what force
does the string exert on it?
m 0.20kg
r 0.80m
f 1.0 Hz
FT ?
If we draw a free body diagram, we see that the string cannot be
perfectly horizontal since there is no force other than the string to
balance the force of gravity:
However, for this and other problems involving horizontal circles we will
assume (unless told otherwise) that the string is horizontal and only
exerts a horizontal force.
T
1 2 r ac
v2
v
f T r
1 2 (0.80) (5.03) 2
1.0 1.0 0.80
1.0 s 5.03m / s 31.6m / s 2
Fc mac
FT mac
(0.20)(31.6)
6.3 N
b. If Sue increases the speed of the yo-yo to 2.0 revolutions per second,
what force does the string now exert?
Since she is doubling the frequency, she is cutting the period in half.
This will double the speed and will quadruple the acceleration (since
ac v 2 ). This will require a force 4 times as large
FT 4(6.3)
25 N
So
Fc mac
F f mac
FN mac
v2
mg m
r
v2
gr
(13.9) 2
(9.80)(50.0)
0.39
This tells us the required (or minimum) coefficient of friction.
a. Since the dry coefficient of friction is 0.60, there will be enough friction
to make the turn.
b. Since the wet coefficient of friction is only 0.20, there will not be
enough friction to make the turn
People are positioned against the circular wall. When the room is rotating at a
certain speed, the floor drops out and the people in the room remain
suspended against the outer wall. Consider a gravitron circus ride that has an
8.0 m radius and rotates 0.36 times per second.
a. Draw a free body diagram indicating all of the forces involved.
Notice that the normal force is horizontal (perpendicular to the wall) and
friction is up (opposing the person trying to slide down the wall). There
is no outward force on the person.
In order for people to not slide down the wall, the force of friction must
balance the force of gravity:
Vertical
Ff Fg
FN mg
Horizontal
The centripetal acceleration (and therefore the centripetal force) in the
diagram is to the left. It must therefore be provided by the normal force
exerted by the wall:
Fc mac
FN mac
c. People often describe the ride by saying that they were being pressed
against the wall. Is this true?
Not really. There body has a natural tendency to continue travelling in a
straight line (Newton’s First Law), but the wall is in the way. The wall is
exerting an inward force to make them travel in a circular path and this
is what they are feeling.
T
1 2 r ac
v2
v
f T r
1 2 (0.180) (1.10) 2
0.97 1.03 0.180
1.03s 1.10m / s 6.72m / s 2
r 96.5cm 0.965m
Fg mg
v 3.15m / s
(0.335)(9.80)
m 0.335kg
3.28 N
FT ?
v2
ac
r
(3.15) 2
0.965
10.3m / s 2
Since we are now at the bottom of the path, the acceleration is upward.
We will use up as positive.
Fc mac
mac F
mac FT Fg
mac FT Fg
(0.335)(10.3) FT 3.28
FT 6.73 N
Since we are assuming no change in energy for the system, the ball
must be travelling faster at the bottom since it is at a lower height and
will have less potential energy. If we use the lowest point in the circle
as the reference level,
Ei E f
E pi Eki Ekf
mghi 12 mvi2 12 mv 2f
(9.80)(6.0) 12 (5.4) 2 12 v 2f
v f 12.1m / s
v2
ac
r
(12.1) 2
3.0
48.8m / s 2
Since we are now at the bottom of the path, the acceleration is upward.
We will use up as positive.
8. Tarzan plans to cross a gorge by swinging in an arc from a hanging vine. If his
arms are capable of exerting a force of 1500. N on the vine, what is the
maximum speed he can tolerate at the lowest point of his swing? His mass is
85.0 kg; the vine is 4.0 m long.
Fa 1500.N
Fg mg
m 85.0kg
(85.0)(9.80)
r 4.0m
833 N
v?
Since Tarzan is at the bottom of the path, the acceleration is upward. We will
use up as positive.
Fc mac
v2
mac F ac
r
mac Fa Fg v2
7.85
mac Fa Fg 4.0
(85.0)a 1500. 833 v 5.6m / s
c
ac 7.85m / s 2
9. How many revolutions per minute would a 15 m diameter Ferris wheel need to
make for the passengers to feel weightless at the top?
v2 2 r f
1
ac v
r T T
v2 2 (7.5)
1
9.80 8.6
7.5 T 5.5
v 8.6m / s T 5.5s 0.18r / s 60 s / min
11r / min
b. Ignoring the fact that the string is not perfectly horizontal (due to the
weight of the ball), calculate the tension in the string.
m 0.150kg
r 0.600m
f 2.00 Hz
FT ?
T
1 2 r ac
v2
v
f T r
1 2 (0.600) (7.54) 2
2.00 0.500 0.600
0.500 s 7.54m / s 94.8m / s 2
c. Find the tension in the string (and the angle it makes with the
horizontal) if we do not ignore the effect of the weight of the ball. 5.91,
14.3N
Vertical
ma F
0 Fg FTy
0 Fg FTy
FTy mg
(0.150)(9.80)
1.47 N
Horizontal
mac F
mac FTx
(0.150)(94.8) FTx
FTx 14.2 N
FTy
tan
FT FTx2 FTy2 FTx
1.47
(14.2)2 (1.47) 2
14.2
14.3N 5.91
As can be seen the tension is less than 1% different when accounting
for the angle of the string.
b. What must be the rotation speed (revolutions per day) if an effect equal
to gravity at the surface of the earth (1 g ) is to be felt?
r 800.m
ac 9.80m / s 2
f ?
v2 2 r
ac v
r T
v2 2 (800.)
9.80 88.5
800. T
v 88.5m / s T 56.8s
1
f
T
1
56.8
0.0176r / s 86400 s / day
1520r / day
Since the normal force is smaller than if the car were at rest, the person
will feel lighter.
When the car is going through a valley, the center of curvature for the
valley is above the car, so there is an upward centripetal acceleration.
This means that the upward normal force is greater than the downward
force of gravity on the person.
Since the normal force is larger than if the car were at rest, the person
will feel heavier.
b. Consider a car going over the top of a hill (radius = 95 m). How fast
would the car have to go so that the normal force acting on the driver is
zero?
Since the normal force is zero, the only force acting on the person will
be the force of gravity so the acceleration must be 9.80 m/s 2. The
person will feel weightless in this situation.
v2
ac
r
v2
9.80
95
v 30.5m / s
110km / h
13. A bucket of water can be whirled in a vertical circle without the water spilling
out, even at the top of the circle when the bucket is upside down. Explain.
This is similar to the upside down roller coaster problem. If the water were to
fall out of the bucket, it will fall with an acceleration of 9.80 m/s 2. As long as
the bucket is being swung fast enough so that its downward centripetal
acceleration at the top of the path is at least 9.80 m/s2, it will be pushing down
on the water and the water will remain with the bucket. If the bucket slows
down so that its centripetal acceleration is less than 9.80 m/s 2, the water will
now have a greater downward acceleration and will leave the bucket.
14. For a car travelling with speed v around a curve of radius r , determine a
formula for the angle at which a road should be banked so that no friction is
required.
In this case, the centripetal acceleration is horizontal toward the inside of the
curve. We will use a horizontal coordinate system and break the normal force
up into horizontal and vertical components. The angle in the free body
diagram will be the same angle as the angle that the road makes with the
horizontal.
Fc mac
FNx mac
v2
FNy tan m
r
v2
mg tan m
r
2
v
tan
gr
v2
tan 1
gr