What is the magnitude of the car’s acceleration on a circular bend?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a car traveling along a circular bend, with specific parameters such as radius and speed, while experiencing a deceleration. The focus is on determining the magnitude of the car's acceleration, which includes both centripetal and tangential components.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the formula for centripetal acceleration and question the inclusion of tangential acceleration in the overall acceleration calculation. There is uncertainty about how to approach the problem and what components of acceleration need to be considered.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different aspects of acceleration. Some have provided links to resources for further clarification, but there remains a lack of consensus on how to proceed with the calculations.

Contextual Notes

Participants express confusion regarding the definitions and calculations of tangential versus centripetal acceleration, indicating a need for clearer understanding of these concepts in the context of the problem.

Fr3sherthanu
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A car is traveling counterclockwise along a circular bend in the road with an effective radius of 180 m. At a certain instant, the car’s speed is 26 m/s, but it is slowing down at a rate of 1.0 m/s2. What is the magnitude of the car’s acceleration?

I thought it was v^2/r but that isn't the answer apparently.
 
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Fr3sherthanu said:
I thought it was v^2/r but that isn't the answer apparently.

that's the centripetal acceleration

what about the tangential acceleration?​
 
I don't even know what that is or how to go about finding that.
 
I still don't know how to do it. But thanks for your help
 

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