Help anyone know how to do this type of problem

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A boy with a mass of 41 kg rides a merry-go-round at 2.0 m/s, requiring a force of 79 N to stay on. The discussion focuses on determining the radius of the merry-go-round using the formula F=mv^2/r. Participants clarify that the type of acceleration involved is centripetal and confirm the correct application of the formula. The unknown quantity in the equation is the radius, with one participant suggesting a possible value of 0.481. The conversation also touches on centripetal acceleration calculations for an airplane flying in a circle.
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A boy of mass 41 kg rides on a playground merry-go-round at a speed of 2.0 m/s. and has to hold on with a force of 79 N to keep from flying off. What is the radius of the merry-go-round?
 
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Ask yourself the following:
What type of acceleration does the boy experience?
 
Yes, a lot of people know how to do that type of problem. The real question is what have you tried so far? :)
 
F=M1*M2/R but i dono if that's right
 
tboltzsoccer said:
F=M1*M2/R but i dono if that's right
Do you know what your symbols mean?
 
Yes, but it seems as if there is only one mass the mass of the boy i didnt know wher the second mass would come from that's why it staryed me away from this equation but i wasnt sure what else i coudl use
 
tboltzsoccer said:
Yes, but it seems as if there is only one mass the mass of the boy i didnt know wher the second mass would come from that's why it staryed me away from this equation but i wasnt sure what else i coudl use
So you just pick some formula out of thin air and hope you can apply it to a given situation??

What is acceleration, what dimensions does it have?
 
its centripital acceleration
 
tboltzsoccer said:
its centripital acceleration
Correct. What are the physical dimensions of acceleration?
Do you see those anywhere in your formula?
 
  • #10
F=mv^2/r possibly
 
  • #11
tboltzsoccer said:
F=mv^2/r possibly
That is correct.
Now, what is the unkown quantity in that equation?
 
  • #12
radius so would it be .481
 
  • #13
A airplane flies in a circle of radius 1.0 km at a constant speed of 1248 m/s. What is the centripetal acceleration of the airplane in km/s/s?
would the centripital accel be = (to v^2/r) or (1248^2)/1 which would be 1557504 km/s/s
 
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