A car rounds a 20-m radius curve at a speed of 10 m/s.The magnitude of its acceleration is: A)0 m/s² B)0.20 m/s² C)5.0 m/s² D)40 m/s² E)400 m/s²

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The formula for centripetal acceleration is 
a = v^2/r,
where a is the centripetal acceleration, v is the speed, and r is the radius of the curve.

Substituting the given values, we get:
a = (10 m/s)^2 / 20 m = 5 m/s^2

Therefore, the magnitude of the acceleration is 5 m/s^2. Choice (C) is the closest to this value. The other choices are either zero or too far off.

A Car Rounds a 20-M Radius Curve at a Speed