# Homework Help: Car skidding

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1. Oct 17, 2015

### Nishikino Maki

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data
This isn't a problem from a textbook or homework but just a general question.

Say there's a car traveling in a circle and that the track has some coefficient of kinetic friction µ. What would make the car skid?

2. Relevant equations

3. The attempt at a solution
I'm thinking that it skids when the centripetal is greater than the friction force? Not sure why but that's just my intuition.

2. Oct 17, 2015

### PhanthomJay

If it is a level unbanked road, the centripetal force is the static friction force. What does that tell you about when the car will skid?

3. Oct 17, 2015

### Nishikino Maki

That actually makes sense because on a level curve the friction and centripetal forces are the only ones pointing to the center.

Then I suppose it would be when the velocity of the car is greater than $\sqrt{µgr}$?

4. Oct 17, 2015

### PhanthomJay

the friction force is the centripetal force.
yes, where u is the coefficient of static friction, not kinetic friction.