A car travels over a hill at a constant speed as shown in the diagram below.
The car’s speed is 12.1 m/s, its mass is 1621 kg, the radius of the hill is 29 meters, and the force of friction is 201.6 N. The gravitational field of the earth is 10N/Kg.
Calculate the Force Perpendicular (Normal Force) on the car.
If it is at the top, then
F = m g - m v^2/R and the friction is not part of the normal force
g stands for the gravitational field?
The force up on the car from the road is the weight, m g - mass times centripetal acceleration
when v^2/R = g, the car leaves the road.
g actually has a name: Gravity Field Intensity, in units of Newton/kilogram. On the surface of Earth, it is 9.8 N/kg....and, if you do some unit manipulation, you can find that it is equal to 9.8 m/sec^2, which some call acceleration due to gravity. Note that F=ma, or a= F/m=N/kg
To calculate the Normal Force on the car, we need to consider the forces acting on it in the vertical direction. In this case, the two forces involved are the gravitational force and the force of friction.
The gravitational force exerted on the car can be calculated using the formula:
Gravitational force = mass * acceleration due to gravity
Given that the mass of the car is 1621 kg and the acceleration due to gravity is 10 N/kg, the gravitational force exerted on the car is:
Gravitational force = 1621 kg * 10 N/kg = 16210 N
Next, we need to determine the force of friction. The force of friction acts in the opposite direction of the car's motion, so it is directed upwards. The force of friction can be determined using the formula:
Force of friction = mass * acceleration
In this case, we need to determine the acceleration of the car as it goes over the hill. Since the car is traveling at a constant speed, the acceleration is zero. Therefore, the force of friction is also zero.
Now, let's calculate the Normal Force. The Normal Force is the force exerted by a surface to support the weight of an object resting on it. In this case, it is equal to the sum of the gravitational force and the force of friction:
Normal Force = Gravitational force + Force of friction = 16210 N + 0 N = 16210 N
Therefore, the Force Perpendicular (Normal Force) acting on the car is 16210 N.