Am I taking the right approach? (Finding final velocity)

[david13579]

I've been given this problem http://i.imgur.com/7XtYt.png and I had no idea of how to come up with an answer since it is a circular path. The only thing that occurred to me is find the initial height using the chord length formula for a circle and then treat that chord as the hypotenuse of a right triangle. After finding "the height" that way I can then use an energy conservation approach to get the velocity and I get 16.78 m/s.

Is that a correct way of doing it?. Even if it is correct, not many people would remember the chord length formula so I doubt our professor intended for it to be solved that way. There has to be an easier way to do it.

 

[Delphi51]

I find "chord length" confusing.
To find the height, I drew a horizontal line from A to the vertical line.
The distance from the center of the circle to the line is 30*cos(40) = 23.
So the height at A is 30 - 23 = 7.
I get the same final answer answer you did.

 

[david13579]

I find "chord length" confusing.
To find the height, I drew a horizontal line from A to the vertical line.
The distance from the center of the circle to the line is 30*cos(40) = 23.
So the height at A is 30 - 23 = 7.
I get the same final answer answer you did.

Wow, this is more straight forward. I don't see how I see it myself.

This is what I mean by chord length . http://i.imgur.com/aNTUA.png

Thanks :)

 

[Delphi51]

Fascinating! I must attempt to derive that formula.
Funny, I never ran across it before.

 

[asteriatic]

I cannot evaluate whether your approach is correct without seeing your calculations and assumptions. However, your method of using the chord length formula for a circular path and then treating it as the hypotenuse of a right triangle may be a valid approach. It is important to check your calculations and make sure that all units are consistent.

In terms of whether this is the intended method by your professor, it is always a good idea to check with them or consult with your classmates to see if there are alternative methods that may be more efficient or in line with the objectives of the problem. As scientists, it is important to critically evaluate our methods and consider alternative approaches to problem solving.

Overall, it is important to remember that there is not always a single correct way to solve a problem in science. As long as your method is logically sound and produces a reasonable answer, it can be considered a valid approach. However, it is always a good idea to seek feedback and consider alternative methods to improve your problem-solving skills.