The wheelbase on a 50,000-kg truck is 2.40 m wide and the truck's center of mass is located along the vertical centerline of the truck and 2.00 m above the bottom of the tires. The truck is going around a horizontal turn with a radius of 180 m. What is the maximum speed at which the truck can go around the curve without some of its tires lifting off the road?
A) 44.3 m/s
B) 38.2 m/s
C) 32.5 m/s
D) 28.2 m/s
E) 25.0 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The maximum speed can be calculated using the formula for centripetal force and the condition for tipping. The truck will tip if the centripetal force causes the center of mass to move outside the wheelbase. Using the formula $ v = \sqrt{g \cdot h \cdot R / w} $, where $ g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 $, $ h = 2.00 \, \text{m} $, $ R = 180 \, \text{m} $, and $ w = 2.40 \, \text{m} $, the maximum speed is approximately 32.5 m/s.

The Wheelbase on a 50,000-Kg Truck Is 2