Tangential, Radial and total acceleration

In summary, the conversation discusses a ride at an amusement park where people stand against the wall of a rotating drum and experience acceleration. The question asks for the magnitude of tangential acceleration, the magnitude and direction of radial acceleration at a certain speed, and the total acceleration at a different speed. The radius of the drum is given as 4.0m and it takes 5.0 seconds for a person to reach a speed of 5.0m/s. The person is also able to stick to the wall even when the floor is lowered. The person asking for help mentions having multiple attempts but none have been successful so far. They ask for assistance and mention that sharing their attempts may be helpful in identifying where they are going wrong.
  • #1
Robert0606
1
0
Hello, I have a question which I'm having hard time solving,

Homework Statement


A ride at the amusement park consists of a large, vertical drum in which people stand with their backs to the wall. The drum begins to rotate and eventually the people stick to the wall due to the acceleration – even when the floor is lowered. If the ride starts spinning from rest and it takes 5.0 seconds for a person against the wall to attain a speed of 5.0m/s, and if the drum has a radius of 4.0m find the following:

  1. What is the magnitude of the tangential acceleration experienced by a person at the wall?
  2. What is the magnitude and direction of the radial acceleration for a person against the wall when s/he reaches a speed of 3.0m/s?
  3. What is the magnitude and direction of the total acceleration of the person as s/he reaches 5.0m/s?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


I had several attempts but they were so useless that it would be irrelevant to even make mention of, I really have no other clue on how to solve this question. Any help would be appreciated.
 
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  • #2
Robert0606 said:
Hello, I have a question which I'm having hard time solving,

Homework Statement


A ride at the amusement park consists of a large, vertical drum in which people stand with their backs to the wall. The drum begins to rotate and eventually the people stick to the wall due to the acceleration – even when the floor is lowered. If the ride starts spinning from rest and it takes 5.0 seconds for a person against the wall to attain a speed of 5.0m/s, and if the drum has a radius of 4.0m find the following:

  1. What is the magnitude of the tangential acceleration experienced by a person at the wall?
  2. What is the magnitude and direction of the radial acceleration for a person against the wall when s/he reaches a speed of 3.0m/s?
  3. What is the magnitude and direction of the total acceleration of the person as s/he reaches 5.0m/s?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


I had several attempts but they were so useless that it would be irrelevant to even make mention of, I really have no other clue on how to solve this question. Any help would be appreciated.
Your useless attempts may be relevant for assistance to see where you may be going wrong. Can you answer question 2 for starters?
 
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Likes Chestermiller

Related to Tangential, Radial and total acceleration

1. What is tangential acceleration?

Tangential acceleration is the rate of change of an object's tangential velocity, which is the component of its velocity that is directed tangent to its circular path. It is measured in units of meters per second squared (m/s^2).

2. How is radial acceleration different from tangential acceleration?

Radial acceleration is the rate of change of an object's radial velocity, which is the component of its velocity that is directed towards or away from the center of its circular path. While tangential acceleration is always directed tangent to the path, radial acceleration can change the direction of an object's velocity. It is also measured in units of meters per second squared (m/s^2).

3. How are tangential and radial acceleration related to centripetal acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the combination of tangential and radial acceleration, and it is always directed towards the center of an object's circular path. This acceleration is necessary to keep an object moving in a circular path, as it counteracts the tendency of the object to move in a straight line according to Newton's first law of motion.

4. What is the formula for calculating total acceleration?

The formula for total acceleration is the square root of the sum of the squares of tangential and radial acceleration. This can be written as a^2 = at^2 + ar^2, where a is total acceleration, at is tangential acceleration, and ar is radial acceleration.

5. What factors can affect tangential, radial and total acceleration?

Tangential, radial and total acceleration can all be affected by the object's mass, velocity, and the radius of its circular path. Additionally, any external forces acting on the object, such as friction or gravity, can also affect these accelerations.

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