The condition of apparent weightlessness for the passengers can be created for a brief instant when a plane flies over the top of a vertical circle. At a speed of 215 m/s, what is the radius of the vertical circle that the pilot must use?
2007-06-01 05:54:42 · 3 answers · asked by gurlie2 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
4716.837 meters
or
4.717 km
If I remember correctly, g = 9.8 m/s^2 so... (this gives you weight)
accleration = velocity^2 / radius
9.8 = 215^2 / r (solve for r = radius)
2007-06-01 06:03:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When f = ma = W - F = 0, the body m will be apparently weightless. W is the body weight (the reall weight that varies with calorie intake...sigh), F is the equal but opposite force that cancels out the weight, and a is the acceleration of the body along the radius of the curved flight path.
Se to find your R, the radius of curvature we set W = mg = mv^2/R = F and get g = v^2/R so that R = v^2/g; where v = 215 m/sec and g = 9.81 m/sec^2. You can do the math.
The physics lesson is that f = ma = 0 = W - F which says that when the force F along the radius is equal and opposite to the weight of the body m, acceleration a = 0 and f = ma is that "apparent" weight that becomes zero when diving over that flight path.
2007-06-01 06:37:46 · answer #2 · answered by oldprof 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the plane has to follow the path of a parabola not a perfect circle.
2007-06-05 03:26:52 · answer #3 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋