Centripetal force and acceleration

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the Moon's acceleration as it orbits Earth, given its orbital period and distance from Earth. The subject area is centripetal force and acceleration in the context of circular motion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster expresses uncertainty about how to utilize the Moon's orbital period of 27.3 days in the calculations. Some participants clarify the need to convert days into seconds and question the inclusion of mass in one of the equations provided.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively discussing the equations relevant to the problem, with some guidance offered regarding unit conversion. There is an indication of a proposed calculation, but no consensus on the correctness of the approach has been reached.

Contextual Notes

The original poster's confusion about the use of the orbital period and the units involved suggests potential gaps in understanding the relationship between time, distance, and acceleration in circular motion.

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Homework Statement


The moon takes 27.3 days to circle Earth and its centre is located 3.84 x 108 m from the centre of Earth. What is the Moon’s acceleration?


Homework Equations


a=v^2/r, a=4(pi)^2mr/T^2


The Attempt at a Solution


i don't know how to answer this question because i don't know what I am suppossed to do with the 27.3 days.
 
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Your equations look good except for the "m" in the second equation. Where did that come from?

Anyways, the units of acceleration is the meter per second per second, m/(s^2). You must convert the days to seconds. This is a common procedure for many intro physics problems.
 
so then i would just use the second equation i provided(excluding the m) plug everything in and get an answer of 2.72 x 10^-3 m/s2??
 
Yups
 

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