Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 1: Problem 20

As a car goes around a curve, the driver increases its speed. This means the car has two accelerations. What are the directions of these two accelerations?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The two accelerations experienced by the car are tangential acceleration and centripetal acceleration. Tangential acceleration is directed along the curve in the direction of the car's motion, while centripetal acceleration is directed towards the center of the curve.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the types of acceleration in the problem.

In this exercise, the car is going around a curve, which means that it is experiencing centripetal acceleration. Also, as its speed is increasing, the car experiences tangential acceleration. Both of these accelerations act on the car differently.
02

Describe the direction of tangential acceleration.

Tangential acceleration is the acceleration in the direction along the curve or tangent to the path of the car. This means that as the car increases its speed, the tangential acceleration is directed along the path of the car in the direction it is moving.
03

Describe the direction of centripetal acceleration.

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration directed toward the center of the curve. As the car goes around the curve, centripetal acceleration keeps the car moving in a circular path by constantly changing its direction, making it point towards the center of the curve that the car is following. Overall, the two accelerations experienced by the car are tangential acceleration, which is directed along the curve in the direction of motion, and centripetal acceleration, which is directed towards the center of the curve.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

During 200-meter and 400 -meter races, runners must stay in lanes as they go around a curved part of the track. If runners in two different lanes have exactly the same speed, will they also have exactly the same centripetal acceleration as they go around a curve? Explain.

Sketch a graph of velocity versus time for the motion illustrated in Figure \(1.24\). Indicate what the car's acceleration is at different times.

What is "vector addition," and how is it done?

A pendulum clock is taken to a repair shop. Its pendulum is replaced by a shorter one that oscillates with a smaller period than the original. What effect, if any, does this have on how the clock runs?

If a ball is thrown straight up into the air, what is its acceleration as it moves upward? What is its acceleration when it reaches its highest point and is stopped at an instant?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Thermodynamics

Read Explanation

Quantum Physics

Read Explanation

Mechanics and Materials

Read Explanation

Physical Quantities And Units

Read Explanation

Atoms and Radioactivity

Read Explanation

Kinematics Physics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free