Below is a picture of the intersection before and after some road construction to make this intersection safer. This will be especially safer during the winter time when road conditions may be icy. Using your knowledge of physics that you have learned in class, explain why this right-hand turn was dangerous before the construction (especially during the winter). Then explain why it will be safer after the construction? This intersection was made safer by increasing the radius of the curve that the car travels on. Because centripetal force needed to stay on a circular path can be found with Fc=mv^2/r as radius increases the force needed will decrease. So previously the turn had a very tight turn and a small radius meaning lots of centripetal force was needed to not spin out. The force in this situation is friction so as the roads get icy it is harder for a car to have enough friction to not spin out. By increasing the radius of the turn much less centripetal friction force is needed to not spin out making the turn safer as it is more likely for a car to have enough force to continue on its circular path and not spin out during the turn.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorCharles Stuart, Archives
April 2019
Categories |