Question

Explain how a particle with a 2v speed and 2r radius has the same centripetal force as a particle with v speed and r radius

Answers

Answered by GPT 3.5
Centripetal force is given by the equation Fc = mv^2/r, where Fc is the centripetal force, m is the mass of the particle, v is the speed of the particle, and r is the radius of the circular path the particle is moving along.

In this case, we are comparing two particles - one with a speed of 2v and radius of 2r, and the other with a speed of v and radius of r.

For the first particle with a speed of 2v and radius of 2r, the centripetal force would be Fc = m(2v)^2/(2r) = 4mv^2/2r = 2mv^2/r.

For the second particle with a speed of v and radius of r, the centripetal force would be Fc = mv^2/r.

When we compare the two centripetal force equations, we can see that 2mv^2/r = mv^2/r, meaning both particles have the same centripetal force. This is because even though the first particle is moving faster and along a larger radius, the increase in speed is countered by the increase in radius, resulting in the same centripetal force for both particles.

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