Pulling out of a dive, the pilot of an airplane guides his plane into a vertical circle with a radius of 600 m. At the bottom of the dive, the speed of the airplane is 150 m/s. What is the apparent weight of the 70.0-kg pilot at that point?
A) 3310 N
B) 686 N
C) 2630 N
D) 489 N
E) 1370 N

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The apparent weight is the normal force exerted on the pilot. At the bottom of the dive, the apparent weight is the sum of the gravitational force and the centripetal force required to keep the pilot moving in a circle. The centripetal force is calculated using the formula $ F_c = \frac{mv^2}{r} $. For a 70 kg pilot, $ F_c = \frac{70 \times 150^2}{600} = 2625 $ N. The gravitational force is $ mg = 70 \times 9.8 = 686 $ N. The apparent weight is $ 2625 + 686 = 3311 $ N, which rounds to 3310 N.

Pulling Out of a Dive, the Pilot of an Airplane