Max Speed to Maintain Road Contact over Bump

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the maximum speed a car can maintain while driving over the top of a bump without losing contact with the road. The problem involves concepts from dynamics and circular motion, specifically considering the forces acting on the car and the conditions for maintaining contact at a given radius and speed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the forces acting on the car, including gravity and the normal force, and question how these forces interact when the car is at the top of the bump. There is discussion about applying Newton's 2nd law and the implications of losing contact with the road.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants raising questions about the forces involved and how to apply relevant physical laws. Some guidance has been offered regarding the conditions under which the normal force becomes zero, indicating a productive exploration of the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working with specific values for the radius of the bump and the speed of the car, but there may be assumptions about the system that are not fully articulated. The nature of the problem suggests a need for clarity on the relationship between speed, forces, and contact conditions.

Lnav1982
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I am having a hard time trying to figure out this problem:
What is the max speed that you can drive the car over the top of the bump without losing contact with the road. I have the radius= 66.7 m, constant speed of car = 16.4m/s, and weight of your passenger=57.0kg. With these numbers I was able to find the apparent weight of passenger as you pass over the top of the bump= 329.3 N. I just don't know how to find the speed need to not lose contact. Some one please help. Thanks a lot!
 
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What forces act on the car as it passes the top of the bump? What forces act if it loses contact? Is the car accelerating? How would you apply Newton's 2nd law to the car?
 
The forces are force from the bump? Normal force? If it loses contact wouldn't gravity act on the car? The car is accelerating.
 
There are two forces acting on the car: gravity and the normal force. At the point where the car just loses contact with the road, the normal force goes to zero so only gravity is left to hold the car onto the road. Now apply Newton's 2nd law and what you know about circular motion.
 

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