Why Does a Swinging Package on a Bus Indicate Its Speed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter swasfy
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on a physics problem involving a package suspended in a bus that is rounding a curve at a constant speed. The package, with a mass of 0.300 kg, hangs at an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical due to centrifugal force as the bus turns. The string length is 42 cm, and the package is positioned 50 m from the curve's center. Clarification is sought regarding the package's position and the meaning of "at rest relative to the bus," indicating that it does not swing back and forth but remains stationary from the bus's perspective. Understanding these dynamics is essential for calculating the bus's speed.
swasfy
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
As your bus rounds a flat curve at constant speed, a package with mass 0.300kg, suspended from the luggage compartment of the bus by a string 42.0cm long, is found to hang at rest relative to the bus, with the string making an angle of 30.0o with the vertical. In this position, the package is 50.0m from the center of curvature of the curve. What is the speed of the bus?

I am having a lot of trouble visualizing this. Maybe it's the description, I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong but is the luggage dangling on the string from the top the bus?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The mass is hanging down inside the bus like a pendulum - it's moving under centrifugal force as the bus corners
 
So the length of the string is 42cm long and the distance from the floor of the bus to the package is 50cm. What does it mean when it says "found to hang at rest relative to the bus"?
 
I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'
Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
Back
Top