Question

A seat on a Ferris wheel moves at a constant tangential speed around the wheel. If the seat is 7 m from the center of the wheel and has a tangential speed of 0.5 m/s, what centripetal acceleration does the seat experience?

0.04 m/s2
0.07 m/s2
0.1 m/s2

Answer 1

Centripetal acceleration a = v^2 / r = (0.5 m/s)^2 / 7 m = 0.25 / 7 ≈ 0.0357 m/s^2 ≈ 0.04 m/s^2.

(Directed toward the wheel's center.)