Centripetal acceleration centrifuge problem

[MaZnFLiP]

[SOLVED] centripetal acceleration problem

Homework Statement

Find the centripetal acceleration at the top of a test tube in a centrifuge, given that the top is 5.0 cm from the axis of rotation and that its linear speed is 76 m/s.

Homework Equations

Ac = v^2/r

The Attempt at a Solution

So for this equation I just plugged in the given numbers and came up with the answer 1155.2 m/s. I don't quite see what is wrong with my answer but i plugged it into masteringphysics and it said that the answer was wrong so i kept on trying the equation and kept on coming up with the same answer. Could someone tell me what I'm possibly doing wrong?
Solved

Never mind. I was able to see that the radius was in centimeters instead of meters so I had to convert that and I got the right answer

 

[anathema]

.

Hi there,

It looks like you have solved your problem by realizing that the radius was given in centimeters instead of meters. This is a common mistake that can easily be overlooked. It's important to always double check the units in a problem to make sure they are consistent with the given equation.

In this case, the given equation for centripetal acceleration, Ac = v^2/r, requires the radius to be in meters and the velocity to be in meters per second. So when you converted the radius from 5.0 cm to 0.05 m, you were able to get the correct answer of 115.52 m/s^2 for the centripetal acceleration.

Great job on solving the problem and catching your mistake! Keep up the good work.

 

[m2003]

. Thank you for your help.
Great job on solving the problem! It's important to pay attention to units when solving equations, as they can greatly affect the final answer. In this case, converting the radius from centimeters to meters made a big difference in the result. Keep up the good work!