Centrifugal force and those Mike Rowe Ford Truck Commercials

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the physics of centrifugal force as depicted in a Ford truck commercial, specifically analyzing the feasibility of the forces involved in the scenario presented in the ad. Participants explore the calculations related to the truck's weight, the length of the rotating arm, and the rate of rotation, questioning the realism of the claims made in the advertisement.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant calculates a centrifugal force of over 3.5 million Newtons based on their estimates of the arm length and rotation speed.
  • Another participant questions the accuracy of the initial estimates, particularly the length of the arm and the rotation speed, suggesting that the resulting linear speed seems implausible.
  • A later reply indicates that the initial assumptions about the arm's length and rotation speed were incorrect, noting that the actual arm length is much shorter and the rotation rate is slower.
  • One participant mentions finding a "making of" video that shows the truck being spun, which challenges the initial assumption that the commercial was entirely CGI.
  • There is a mention of the truck being subjected to 6 Gs in the making of the commercial, raising further questions about the forces involved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the accuracy of the initial calculations or the realism of the forces depicted in the commercial. There are competing views regarding the estimates and the actual setup shown in the making of the video.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the reliance on initial estimates that were later corrected, and the discussion does not resolve the implications of the forces involved or the structural integrity of the tow hooks under such conditions.

bitrex
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Hello everyone,

It's been a long time since I've taken a physics course, but recently I've become interested again and am studying some classical mechanics in my spare time. I was thinking the other night about that computer generated Ford commercial where the truck is spun on a rotating arm by its tow hooks. From the ad I'd guess the length of the arm is about 50 meters, rotating at about 1 Hz, and I know the curb weight of a Ford F-150 is around 1800kg. Using

F=-m\omega^2r

I get a centrifugal force of over 3.5 million Newtons! Now supposedly these commercials are based on "actual lab tests", so I assume that somewhere sometime engineers have calculated the actual amount of combined force that can be applied to the tow hooks before they shear. Now obviously most car ads are BS, but is this one total BS or could those tow hooks really stand up to that kind of force?
 
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Well, I haven't seen the ad, but are you sure your estimates are right? 50 m is about half a football field - is that really right? Also, 1 Hz mean one second for that huge arm to complete a full 360 degree rotation - again, right?

That translates to a linear speed of around 1131 km/hr for the truck ... that seems kind of unlikely to me ...
 
It might help if you had a link to the video.
 
Well, I did some looking for the commercial, and I found a Youtube video of it. My assumption about the length of the rotating arm was way off. It looks like the actual length of the arm is about 1/25th of what I thought it was for the calculation, and the rate of rotation is slower. I never was very good at estimating. Anyway, the joke is on me, as I also found a "making of" video of the commercial in which it shows a real setup and real truck being spun. I had assumed it was CGI. Here:



It says the truck was subjected to 6 Gs. I suppose if the arm were actually 50 meters and mounted vertically it might be a good way of sending F-150s into space...:smile:
 
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