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Question regarding circular motion and tangential speed?
I have a review book that doesn't give the answers to some of the questions. At least I can't find it.
The question is: What happens to the centripetal acceleration of a space shuttle, if it goes into a higher orbit but keeps its tangential speed fixed?
I think it would decrease because the orbital radius increases
a(c) = v^2/r where v is fixed and r is increased.
My second question is???
I know that normally in circular motion the angular speed (omega) remains constant. However if the velocity remains fixed does that mean the angular speed changed???
Thanks for any help with this problem
lol no. this isn't an indepth physics review it's an MCAT prep book.
Thanks for answering. I can't believe they didn't have the answer. It's actually a really good book but for some of the questions it doesn't have an answer and I've looked everywhere.
3 Answers
- Facts MatterLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
In your examples:
1) You are right. You have the correct equation, you have increased r, so a has increased.
2) omega (in radians/time) = v/r; so omega has gone down.
BTW (maybe this is the next question in your book) you may enjoy working out whether centripetal force and gravitational attraction still balance. If not, what is going to happen?
- ivan kLv 51 decade ago
angular speed is how fast it's spinning, it's measured with units like rpm, or radians/second. so if the speed of the space shuttle is the same, the rpms becomes less.
when r increases, angular acceleration decreases, the math tells you that. so what happens to the space shuttle? the orbit goes elliptical, where acceleration and distance are not constant. gravitational acceleration varies as the square of the distance between the 2 objects.
as the space shuttle falls towards the planet, it gains speed and acceleration, if the conditions are right, it will swing around the back of the planet and be thrown back out, if they are not right, it will crash.
- ?Lv 44 years ago
Assuming that the spacecraft isn't the scale of Earth, it is not so straight forward as weighing your self simply by fact your "weight" could advance the extra you purchased from the axis of rotation. i think you're inquiring for a million g acceleration on the floor. simply by fact, whilst status, your finished physique mass is unfold over a rather super % of the radius from the middle, you will no longer get a correct value on your scale. think of which you have been as tall simply by fact the radius, then your head could be weightless, your chest could have some weight, your ft could be even "heavier". basically like swiging a brick around on a quick rope whilst in comparison with swinging one on an extremely long rope on the comparable frequency. The long you will require plenty greater suitable rigidity to hold, i.e. it is simulated gravity could be plenty greater suitable. So... you're able to be able to desire to weight something as on the factor of the floor as a possibility like a huge flat plate. or you're able to be able to desire to purely place an accelerometer on the floor and enable it tell you the acceleration.