What force must provide the centripetal acceleration of the block?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on determining the angle (theta) that a block makes with the vertical when a van travels around an unbanked curve at a speed of 28 m/s and a radius of 150 m. Participants clarify that the forces acting on the block include tension and gravity, with the tension providing the necessary centripetal acceleration. The final equations derived are Tcos(theta) = mg and Tsin(theta) = m(v²/R), leading to the conclusion that tan(theta) = v²/(Rg), which is applicable for frictionless banked curves.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion
  • Knowledge of centripetal acceleration and forces
  • Familiarity with trigonometric functions and their applications in physics
  • Basic concepts of tension in strings and ropes
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of centripetal acceleration formulas
  • Learn about the effects of rope length on centripetal motion
  • Explore frictionless banked curves and their applications
  • Investigate the role of tension in different physical systems
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Students of physics, educators teaching mechanics, and anyone interested in understanding forces in circular motion.

  • #31
Just a final note:
The problem you've just solved is a rather rough approximation, since you haven't taken into account the actual rope length!
If you did do that, you should be able to figure out that the centripetal acceleration is
\frac{v^{2}}{R+L\sin\theta}
where L is the rope length.
When L<<R, the approximation is very good..
 
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  • #32
Hmm, well the length of the rope is signficantly smaller than the radius, so all is good :cool:
 

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