On an amusement park ride, passengers are seated in a horizontal circle of radius 7.5 m. The seats begin from rest and are uniformly accelerated for 21 seconds to a maximum rotational speed of 1.4 rad/s.
-What is the tangential acceleration of the passengers during the first 21 s of the ride?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tangential acceleration is given by the formula a = rα, where r is the radius of the circle and α is the angular acceleration. Since the ride is uniformly accelerated, we can use the formula α = ω/t, where ω is the maximum rotational speed and t is the time taken to reach that speed.

α = ω/t = 1.4 rad/s / 21 s = 0.067 rad/s^2
a = rα = 7.5 m x 0.067 rad/s^2 = 0.50 m/s^2.

Therefore, the correct answer is B.

On an Amusement Park Ride, Passengers Are Seated in a Horizontal