Solving Centripetal Acceleration: Maximum Speed in Curved Truck Problem

[smashbrohamme]

A certain light truck can go around a flat curve having a radius of 150 m with a maximum speed of 35.5 m/s. With what maximum speed can it go around a curve having a radius of 79.5 m?

Answer is 25.8.

I was trying to use the relationship of V=RW but I can't seem to figure out this simple problem.

Is this a centripetal acceleration problem?

What method is best to solve this?

 

[Nytik]

Well, the limiting factor is the force on the truck, right? So if you work out the force (or equivalently, the acceleration since mass is the same in both cases) on the truck in the first scenario, you can use the same value of max centripetal force/acceleration for the new curve.

 

[smashbrohamme]

so I can figure out the acceleration and linear distance of the radius to figure out how fast it can go using kinematic equations eh?

 

[Nytik]

Just use the equation for acceleration in a circle, [itex]a=v^2/r[/itex] to determine the acceleration in the first case. Then use your result with the second value of 'r' in order to determine your new velocity.

 

[smashbrohamme]

it seems I don't have enough information to use the kinemativ equations.

 

[Nytik]

You only need the one equation I gave in my post above!

 

[smashbrohamme]

nice, a=v^2/r for circle acceleration..that is a very useful equation.

 

[smashbrohamme]

yea sorry about that, if you look at the time we posted at the same time so I didnt see your great equation at posting.