Finding the velocity for a given centripetal acceleration

In summary, for a rotating circle with a radius of 2.10cm and a required centripetal acceleration of 100g, the required rate of rotation is approximately 0.57 RPM, not 2060 RPM as initially stated. This was due to a mistake in dividing instead of multiplying in the final step.
  • #1
sh86
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THE PROBLEM: (my own words) For a rotating circle with radius 2.10cm, the centripetal acceleration on the rim must be 100g. In revolutions per minute, what is the rate of rotation required?

MY SOLUTION:

1. Centripetal acceleration is given by [tex]a_c = \frac{v^2}{r}[/tex] and so [tex]\frac{v^2}{0.021} = 100g \Leftrightarrow v = \sqrt{0.021 \times 100g} \approx 4.54 \frac{m}{s} [/tex]

2. The velocity is given by [tex]v = \frac{2 \pi r}{T}[/tex] (where T is the period) and so the period is [tex]T = \frac{2 \pi r}{v}[/tex].

3. Therefore the frequency is [tex]f = \frac{1}{T} = \frac{v}{2 \pi r} = \frac{4.54\ \frac{m}{s}}{0.132\ \frac{m}{rev}} = 34.4 \frac{rev}{s}[/tex]

4. This is equal to 34.4/60 RPM = 0.57 RPM.

WHY I'M PISSED OFF: The answer is actually 2060 RPM and I have NO idea what I did wrong. I've checked my answer about a billion times...Please help me.***EDIT*** OMG! I divided by 60 in step 4 rather than multiplied...This is so stupid I spent over an hour on this problem and spent a really long time writing this post. Well uh...I don't have anything left to say.
 
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  • #2
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1. What is centripetal acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration experienced by an object moving in a circular path. It is always directed towards the center of the circle and its magnitude is given by the formula a = v^2/r, where v is the velocity of the object and r is the radius of the circle.

2. How is centripetal acceleration related to velocity?

The formula for centripetal acceleration (a = v^2/r) shows that it is directly proportional to the square of the velocity. This means that as the velocity of an object increases, the centripetal acceleration also increases.

3. Can centripetal acceleration be negative?

No, centripetal acceleration cannot be negative. It is always directed towards the center of the circle, so its direction is constantly changing but it is always positive in magnitude.

4. How is centripetal acceleration different from tangential acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration towards the center of the circle, while tangential acceleration is the acceleration along the tangent of the circle. In other words, centripetal acceleration changes the direction of an object's motion while tangential acceleration changes the magnitude of its velocity.

5. How can I find the velocity for a given centripetal acceleration?

The formula for centripetal acceleration (a = v^2/r) can be rearranged to solve for velocity: v = √(ar). So, to find the velocity for a given centripetal acceleration, simply plug in the values for a and r into this equation and take the square root of the result.

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