At what rate must the cylindrical spaceship of Fig. 5-30 rotate (see Question 12 of the textbook), if occupants are to experience simulated gravity of g/6? Assume the spaceship's diameter is 44 m, and give your answer as the time needed for one revolution.

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1

To calculate the rate at which the cylindrical spaceship must rotate, we can use the concept of centrifugal force.

First, let's define some variables:
- ω: angular velocity of the spaceship (in radians per second)
- R: radius of the spaceship (half of the diameter, so R = 44 m / 2)

To create a simulated gravity of g/6, the centrifugal force acting on the occupants needs to be equal to their weight on Earth. The formula for centrifugal force is given by:

F_c = m * ω² * R

Where:
- F_c is the centrifugal force
- m is the mass of an occupant
- ω is the angular velocity
- R is the radius of the spaceship

Since the occupants experience gravity of g/6, their weight (W) is given by:

W = (m * g) / 6

Since the centrifugal force (F_c) is equal to the weight (W), we can set up the equation:

(m * g) / 6 = m * ω² * R

Now, we can solve for ω:

ω² = (g / 6) / R
ω = sqrt((g / 6) / R)

Given the value of R (22 m) and assuming g is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth (9.8 m/s²), we can substitute these values into the equation and solve for ω:

ω = sqrt((9.8 m/s² / 6) / 22 m)
ω = sqrt(0.2697...)
ω ≈ 0.5193 rad/s

To find the time needed for one revolution, we can use the equation:

T = 2π / ω

Substituting the value of ω, we get:

T = 2π / 0.5193 rad/s
T ≈ 12.10 s

Therefore, the spaceship must rotate at a rate of approximately 0.5193 radians per second, and it takes approximately 12.10 seconds for one revolution.