Centripetal acceleration problem

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the speed of a train rounding a curve with a radius of 375 m, where a chandelier swings out at an angle of 18.0°. The user, Johnny, initially used the equation 9.8sin(18)=(v^2)/375 but received an incorrect result of V=33.7 m/s. A participant clarified that v^2/R represents centripetal acceleration, not force, and suggested applying Newton's 2nd law to analyze the forces on the chandelier by separating vertical and horizontal components.

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agentd00nut
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ok i have this problem

A train traveling at a constant speed rounds a curve of radius 375 m. A chandelier suspended from the ceiling swings out to an angle of 18.0° throughout the turn. What is the speed of the train?

so far i have 9.8sin(18)=(v^2)/375
v^2/R being force
and i got V=33.7 but it was wrong and just for kicks i switched from sin to cos and i still got the wrong answer I am not sure where I've gone wrong

thanks for your help,
johnny
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Not sure where you got that equation. (And v^2/R is the centripetal acceleration, not force.)

Analyze the forces acting on the chandelier and apply Newton's 2nd law. (Hint: Analyze the vertical and horizontal components separately.)
 

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