What force must provide the centripetal acceleration of the block?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a block suspended by a string inside a van that travels around a curve. The block hangs vertically when the van moves straight but swings outward when turning, creating an angle with the vertical. The goal is to determine this angle, theta, while considering the forces acting on the block.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the forces acting on the block, including gravity and tension, and question how these relate to centripetal acceleration. There are attempts to apply Newton's laws and resolve components of forces without reaching a consensus on the approach.

Discussion Status

The discussion has explored various interpretations of the forces involved, particularly the role of tension and gravity. Some participants have outlined equations based on Newton's laws, while others express confusion about the relationships between the forces and the angle theta. Guidance has been provided regarding the components of forces, but no explicit consensus has been reached on the final approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating misconceptions about the forces involved, particularly regarding the application of formulas typically used for banked curves. There is also mention of the rope length affecting the centripetal acceleration, which adds complexity to the problem.

  • #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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