What is the linear speed of a child standing 0.4 m from the centre of a steadily rotating merry go around? It makes one complete revolution in 16.0 s.
To find the linear speed of the child, we need to first calculate the distance the child travels in one complete revolution.
The circumference of a circle can be calculated using the formula: C = 2πr, where C is the circumference and r is the radius.
Given that the child is standing 0.4 m from the center of the rotating merry-go-round, the radius (r) is 0.4 m.
Substituting the values into the formula, we have:
C = 2π(0.4)
C ≈ 2.513 m
Next, we need to calculate the time taken for one complete revolution. The question states that it takes 16.0 s for the merry-go-round to complete one full revolution.
Finally, to find the linear speed, we divide the distance traveled in one revolution (circumference) by the time taken:
Linear speed = Distance / Time
Linear speed = 2.513 m / 16.0 s
Linear speed ≈ 0.157 m/s
Therefore, the linear speed of the child is approximately 0.157 m/s.