The distance from the center of a Ferris wheel to a passenger seat is 6.0 m.What centripetal acceleration does a passenger experience when the wheel rotates once every 4π seconds? A) 16.9 m/s² B) 9.0 m/s² C) 3.0 m/s² D) 1.5 m/s²

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The centripetal acceleration $ a_c $ is given by $ a_c = \frac{v^2}{r} $. The velocity $ v $ can be found using $ v = \frac{2\pi r}{T} $, where $ T = 4\pi $ seconds and $ r = 6.0 $ m. Substituting these values, $ v = \frac{2\pi \times 6}{4\pi} = 3 $ m/s. Thus, $ a_c = \frac{3^2}{6} = 1.5 $ m/s².

The Distance from the Center of a Ferris Wheel to a Passenger