What is the correct formula for calculating centripetal acceleration?

In summary, the centripetal acceleration of a point on the perimeter of a bicycle wheel with a diameter of 70 cm moving at 7.0 m/s is 1.4 m/s^2. The formula used was v^2/r = ac, with all units converted to meters.
  • #1
Sucks@Physics
76
0
What is the centripetal acceleration of a point on the perimeter of a bicycle wheel of diameter 70 cm when the bike is moving 7.0m/s?

I thought the formula was v^2/r =ac

But when I do that i get 1.4m/s^2 and it is not the right answer. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong, or if I've used the wrong formula? Thanks
 
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  • #2
Realize that the diameter is given in cm. Change to meters.
 
  • #3
I did. (7m/s)^2/.35m = 140m/s
 
  • #4
Sorry that was supposed to be 1.4x10^2 in the first post
 
  • #5
Sucks@Physics said:
Sorry that was supposed to be 1.4x10^2 in the first post
I don't see anything wrong with that answer, assuming you gave proper units.
 

What is centripetal acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration experienced by an object moving in a circular path, directed towards the center of the circle.

How is centripetal acceleration calculated?

The formula for centripetal acceleration is a = v^2/r, where "a" is the centripetal acceleration, "v" is the velocity of the object in circular motion, and "r" is the radius of the circle.

What is the relationship between centripetal acceleration and centripetal force?

Centripetal acceleration is directly proportional to centripetal force, meaning that an increase in centripetal force will result in an increase in centripetal acceleration.

How does centripetal acceleration affect an object's speed?

Centripetal acceleration does not affect an object's speed, as it only changes the direction of the object's velocity, not its magnitude.

What are some real-life examples of centripetal acceleration?

Some examples of centripetal acceleration include the motion of a car around a curve, a satellite orbiting the Earth, and a roller coaster looping around a track.

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