Circular Motion and Universal Law of Gravitation Homework help

In summary, the problem involves finding the speed of a roller coaster car at the bottom of a dip with a 30 m radius of curvature. The car's passengers feel twice as heavy as their true weight. The equation \sum F = m \frac{v^{2}}{r} is used to solve for the velocity, and the apparent weight is used as the normal force in the equation. The radius is given as 30m, but the original "true" weight of the car is not given. The solution involves drawing a force diagram and using the equation to solve for the velocity.
  • #1
rain_ex
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Circular Motion and Universal Law of Gravitation Homework help!

Homework Statement



The passengers in a roller coaster car feel twice as heavy as their true weight as the car goes through a dip with a 30 m radius of curvature. What is the car's speed at the bottom of this dip?

Given: r = 30m, mass = twice the force due to gravity(?)
Find: Velocity

Homework Equations



[tex]\sum[/tex] F = m [tex]\frac{v^{2}}{r}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution



I'm not sure on where to start or set this one up. Also, I don't know where to find the original "true" weight of the car, if the feeling on the roller coaster is twice this.

Homework Statement



Spiderman plans to cross a gap between two buildings by swinging in an arc from his web. If his arms are capable of exerting a force of 1900N on the webbing, what is the maximum speed he can tolerate at the lowest point of his swing? Spiderman's mass is 80 kg and the webbing is 4.8 m long.

Given: F = 1900N, m = 80kg, r = 2.4m[?] (the webbing is 4.8m long total so that would be the diameter, so half that would be the radius? or is 4.8m the actual radius?)

Homework Equations



[tex]\sum[/tex] F = m [tex]\frac{v^{2}}{r}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution



With the radius as 2.4m, I got 7.55 m/s as the velocity.
With the radius as 4.8m, I got 10.68 m/s as the velocity.

Which one am I supposed to use and are these even the correct solutions? Help would be greatly appreciated!
 
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  • #2


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rain_ex said:

Homework Statement



The passengers in a roller coaster car feel twice as heavy as their true weight as the car goes through a dip with a 30 m radius of curvature. What is the car's speed at the bottom of this dip?

Given: r = 30m, mass = twice the force due to gravity(?)
Find: Velocity

Homework Equations



[tex]\sum[/tex] F = m [tex]\frac{v^{2}}{r}[/tex]
Okay, and what are the different forces that would act on one of the passengers? These forces would go in that summation on the left side of your equation.

The Attempt at a Solution



I'm not sure on where to start or set this one up. Also, I don't know where to find the original "true" weight of the car, if the feeling on the roller coaster is twice this.
Apparent weight is the reading you'd see if the car were placed on a scale. Tough to do while it is moving, but you could imagine a passenger sitting on a scale inside the car, and the scale reading would be the apparent weight of that passenger. In other words, apparent weight is the normal force acting on the passenger or car.

Just to check, have you drawn a force diagram for the car? That's usually a good way to start one of these problems.
 

1. What is circular motion?

Circular motion is a type of motion in which an object moves around a center point in a circular path. It can be seen in many natural phenomena, such as the orbit of planets around the sun, or the rotation of a wheel.

2. How is circular motion related to the Universal Law of Gravitation?

The Universal Law of Gravitation states that every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. In circular motion, this force of attraction between two objects causes one object to move around the other in a circular path.

3. What is the equation for calculating the centripetal force in circular motion?

The equation for calculating the centripetal force is Fc = (mv^2)/r, where Fc is the centripetal force, m is the mass of the object, v is the velocity of the object, and r is the radius of the circular path.

4. How does the mass and velocity of an object affect its circular motion?

The mass and velocity of an object both play a role in determining the centripetal force required for circular motion. A larger mass or higher velocity will result in a greater centripetal force needed to maintain circular motion.

5. Can circular motion occur without the presence of a force?

No, circular motion cannot occur without the presence of a force. In the absence of a force, an object will continue moving in a straight line at a constant velocity, rather than in a circular path.

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