Circular Motion and Force Problem

In summary, the homework problem involves finding the force between a man and his chair on a Ferris Wheel. The man has a mass of 50.0 kg and the Ferris Wheel has a radius of 30m. The wheel completes a single revolution every 20 seconds and the equations used to solve the problem are FNET=ma, Fg=mg, \tau=2\pir/v, and a=v2/r. To find the force on the man, the force of gravity is first calculated to be 490N. However, the period is then incorrectly calculated as 0.05rev/sec, resulting in a very large velocity and acceleration. The correct approach would be to take into account the changing direction of
  • #1
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Homework Statement



A man sitting on the edge of his seat on a Ferris Wheel has a mass of 50.0 kg. The Ferris Wheel has a radius r=30m and the ferris wheel completes a single revolution every 20 seconds. Find the force between the man and the chair.


Homework Equations



FNET=ma
Fg=mg

[tex]\tau[/tex]=2[tex]\pi[/tex]r/v
a=v2/r


The Attempt at a Solution



I found the force of gravity on the man to be 490N. I think the period is 0.05rev/sec so I set up the [tex]\tau[/tex] equation to be 0.05=2[tex]\pi[/tex](30)/v. I solved for V however and get 3769.91 m/s. It seems like too big of a number. This then gives me a very large acceleration of 473740.71m/s2.
I need to solve for a to plug into my FNET equation in order to find the force on the chair on man.
What am I doing wrong to get these large numbers?
 
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  • #2
There are two forces that act on the man. The first is the constant, but if you correctly wrote out the question the second force changes directions with the man's position as he rotates around the ferris wheel.

So the force that the man feels as a push from the seat will depend on where he is as he rotates around the wheel. The Force would be a function of [tex]\theta[/tex]
 

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