2006-09-17 19:07:41 · 18 answers · asked by kewl_dave_us_05 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
This is easy as any A-Level student should be able to tell you.
Answer: No. The acceleration of the car is NOT zero. Anything going on a circular path has acceleration.
Newton's Law, which is an observed law, is that everything will either stay still or move in a STRAIGHT line with constant speed unless a force acts on it. This is NOT a STRAIGHT line path so there must be acceleration.
You can prove this easily in real life by putting oil on the road of a car going round a curve. Without the force of friction to provide the force to give the car acceleration towards the centre of the circle containing this curve, the car will slide outwards and go off the road. Why? Because there is no force acting on it, it is just trying to move in a STRAIGHT line with constant speed!
This is what happens to people standing on a bus which is turning. If the shoes are slippery, they can slide in the direction that they were moving in before turning. Again trying to go onto a straight line with uniform speed. The solution to slippery shoes is to cling onto a strap for dear life. The tension in the strap will give the person the force to keep him in a circular motion. He can even lift his slippery shoes off the floor.
2006-09-17 19:17:40 · answer #1 · answered by Minerva 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if it's going around a circular track then it's acceleration CANNOT be zero.
if acceleration is zero, an object will move at constant speed. Constant speed means not just the magnitude of the speed (40 mph here), but also its direction.
in the case of this car, the direction of the speed is changing all the time. This means that an acceleration is applied.
where does it come from? From the force exerted by the tyres in contact w the road.
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2006-09-18 07:48:48 · answer #2 · answered by AntoineBachmann 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The car is subject to an unbalanced centre-seeking (centripetal) force which is constantly directed at the centre of the circle which forms the track and which keeps the car in its circular motion. This force produces a centre-seeking (centripetal) acceleration.
The car will have a constant speed (a scalar) but will have constantly changing direction and so constantly changing velocity (a vector). Changing velocity is acceleration.
2006-09-17 21:55:32 · answer #3 · answered by hippoterry2005 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No .It is accelarating towards the centre of the circle. The force that pulls it towards the center is called the centripetal force.
The value of the acceleration is given by the formulae:
a = v squared divided by r
where
a is centripetal acceleration
v is tangental speed
r is radius of curvature
Although the speed is constant , the velocity is changing because the direction is changing- Remember the definition of a vector
Furthermore the direction of the acceleration is given by the right hand rule.
Curl your fingers around your thumb. If your index finger points in the direction of motion, your thumb points in the direction of the acceleration
2006-09-17 23:51:29 · answer #4 · answered by SAREK 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Neglecting the acceleration due to gravity, for an object with a uniform circular velocity, the linear acceleration is zero, however there will be a centripetal acceleration toward the center.
2006-09-17 19:20:39 · answer #5 · answered by L96vette 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Acceleration is defined to be a change in velocity. Velocity is a vector which has both direction and magnitude. A change in either of these (direction or magnitude) means there is acceleration.
In your case, the direction is changing so you have an acceleration
2006-09-17 20:43:15 · answer #6 · answered by Demiurge42 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no. it is always accelerating, (and it is always decelerating, or negative acceleration)
In the direction it is turning it is accelerating because the vector that it is traveling in is changing. Even if it was going in a perfectly straight line, it would still be accelerating because of: the earth's surface being round, the earths rotation, the earth's orbit, the solar systems movement, and the universe's movement
Things are CONSTANTLY accelerating in one direction or another.
2006-09-17 19:18:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Displacement for any ROUND trip is going to be zero, distance is not. The speed equals to 40mph and it doesn't change, that means acceleration is zero.
2006-09-17 19:23:44 · answer #8 · answered by joanna 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the velocity as teh acceleration has direction as well. and
a = dU / dt (as in vector forms ) therefore te acceleration exsits due to the constant change of direction
2006-09-17 19:27:26 · answer #9 · answered by Emmanuel P 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, is different to zero.
The aceleration is a vectos like a this
a = atangelcial + acentripetal
In your case, atangencial is ZERo, but a centripeltal not.
2006-09-17 21:43:13 · answer #10 · answered by Juan D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋