Horsepower to G-Force: Calculations for a Tetherball

[milton3]

This question is for background information on a start up technology.

Starting with the tetherball analogy: Assuming the force would be applied to spinning the base of the tetherball pole what amount of horse power is needed to get the tetherball up to a speed of 36 miles per hour with these properties; tetherball poll (2 kilograms), string (1 meter) and ball (1.9 kilograms)?

At constant speed what is the max g-force?

If the process was reversed, 36 mph to zero, what would be the max g-force?

 

[rcgldr]

If there's no friction or drag, then any (non-zero) amount of power will eventually get the ball up to speed.

 

[litup]

This question is for background information on a start up technology.

Starting with the tetherball analogy: Assuming the force would be applied to spinning the base of the tetherball pole what amount of horse power is needed to get the tetherball up to a speed of 36 miles per hour with these properties; tetherball poll (2 kilograms), string (1 meter) and ball (1.9 kilograms)?

At constant speed what is the max g-force?

If the process was reversed, 36 mph to zero, what would be the max g-force?

You should at least keep the units the same, 36 mph is 57.6 Kilometers/hour.
The other problem is you did not specify a time frame. Horsepower and such in terms of lifting power is defined as the ability to move or lift straight up 555 pounds (252.27 kg) one foot (304 mm, 30.4 cm) in one second. So if you could apply one hp to 555 pounds in space as an acceleration it would give 1/32 of a G, so 32 hp would accelerate 555 pounds in space at one G.

You need to be more specific about your units and such. Try it again.

 

[jack action]

Whenever you are talking power or acceleration, you need to set a time restriction. Power is the amount of energy spent in a given time and acceleration is the amount of velocity variation in a given time.

Starting with the tetherball analogy: Assuming the force would be applied to spinning the base of the tetherball pole what amount of horse power is needed to get the tetherball up to a speed of 36 miles per hour with these properties; tetherball poll (2 kilograms), string (1 meter) and ball (1.9 kilograms)?

To get a mass m to go from 0 to velocity v, you need an amount of energy equal to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy#Newtonian_kinetic_energy". If you divide this amount of energy by the the time taken to reach v, you will get the average horsepower needed.

At constant speed what is the max g-force?

Technically, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force" principle.

If the process was reversed, 36 mph to zero, what would be the max g-force?

Here you have the speed difference, but you don't specified the time, so we cannot determine the acceleration (or deceleration, in this case).

 

[PJC01]

I would first like to commend the use of a tetherball analogy to explain the concept of horsepower and g-forces. It is a creative and relatable way to approach the topic.

To calculate the horsepower needed to achieve a speed of 36 miles per hour for the given tetherball setup, we can use the formula: horsepower = (force x distance) / time. In this case, the force would be applied to spin the base of the tetherball pole, the distance would be the circumference of the pole (2m x pi), and the time would be the time it takes to reach the desired speed (36 miles per hour = 16.09 meters per second). Using these values, we can calculate the horsepower required to be approximately 0.48 horsepower.

The maximum g-force experienced by the tetherball in this scenario would be dependent on the radius of the pole and the speed at which the ball is spinning. Assuming the radius of the pole is 0.5 meters, the maximum g-force would be approximately 2.14 g's, which is equivalent to 2.14 times the force of gravity.

If the process was reversed and the tetherball went from 36 miles per hour to zero, the maximum g-force experienced by the ball would be the same, as it is dependent on the speed and radius of the pole. However, the direction of the force would be different, causing the ball to experience a deceleration force instead of an acceleration force.

It is important to note that these calculations are based on ideal conditions and do not take into account factors such as air resistance or friction. Additionally, the force applied to spin the pole may vary depending on the strength and technique of the person spinning it. Further experimentation and testing would be needed to accurately determine the horsepower and g-forces in a real-life scenario.

Overall, this tetherball analogy serves as a useful starting point for understanding the concepts of horsepower and g-forces, but further research and calculations would be needed for a more precise understanding in a real-world application.