Find the centripetal accelerations of a point at the North Pole of Earth?

Answer 1

I think it should be zero.
The acceleration is v^2/r where r is the distance to the center of the circle around which the object is rotating, but at the North Pole, you are AT the axis, so r = 0, and luckly v^2 is zero as well.

Now, this could be a trick question because the earth is still rotating around the sun. If this is the case, r is 8 light-minutes, but I don't know what the speed of the earth through the galaxy is (well, it's 2*pi*8 ligiht-minutes)

Answer 2

The radius of rotation is zero at the north pole. If you write out the formula for centripetal acceleration in terms of the angular velocity (not linear, which goes to zero) and radius you will see that centripetal acceleration is zero as well. Remember also that the Earth's centripetal force comes from its gravitational force and there is no component of gravitational force that pulls you toward the north pole.

Answer 3

Hi,. Not to sound picky but a point right on the North Pole moves in a circle with a period of some 20,000 plus years due to precession. The center of this circle is sort of a "real" pole. Negligible centripetal force.

Answer 4

The angular speed of north pole about the axis of earth is zero.

The north pole is not moving along a circle.

Centripetal acceleration is zero.

It has the maximum acceleration due to gravity.

Answer 5

Depends on what you call the north Pole. If you mean the north rotational axis its zero. If you mean the magnetic north pole. Its a complex 3 vector that changes slowly with time

Answer 6

Centripetal acceleration a= r*w^2, where r=150*10^9m, w=2pi/1year; 1year=365.25days, 1day=24hours, 1hour=3600s;