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Answer all the questions in the spaces provided.
1 (a) State what is meant by centripetal acceleration.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
(b) An unpowered toy car moves freely along a smooth track that is initially horizontal. The track
contains a vertical circular loop around which the car travels, as shown in Fig. 1.1.
62 cm
loop
toy car
mass 230 g
track
Fig. 1.1
The mass of the car is 230 g and the diameter of the loop is 62 cm. Assume that the resistive
forces acting on the car are negligible.
(i) State what happens to the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of the car as it
moves around the loop from X to Y.
..................................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Explain, if the car remains in contact with the track, why the centripetal acceleration of
the car at point Y must be greater than 9.8 m s–2.
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................... [2]
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(c) The initial speed at which the car in (b) moves along the track is 3.8 m s–1.
Determine whether the car is in contact with the track at point Y. Show your working.
[3]
(d) Suggest, with a reason but without calculation, whether your conclusion in (c) would be
different for a car of mass 460 g moving with the same initial speed.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
[Total: 8]
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Answer all the questions in the spaces provided.
1 (a) With reference to velocity and acceleration, describe uniform circular motion.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(b) Two cars are moving around a horizontal circular track. One car follows path X and the other
follows path Y, as shown in Fig. 1.1.
start and finish line
track
path X
27 m 318 m
path Y
Fig. 1.1 (not to scale)
The radius of path X is 318 m. Path Y is parallel to, and 27 m outside, path X. Both cars have
mass 790 kg. The maximum lateral (sideways) friction force F that the cars can experience
without sliding is the same for both cars.
(i) The maximum speed at which the car on path X can move around the track without
sliding is 94 m s–1.
Calculate F.
F = ..................................................... N [2]
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(ii) Both cars move around the track. Each car has the maximum speed at which it can
move without sliding.
Complete Table 1.1, by placing one tick in each row, to indicate how the quantities
indicated for the car on path Y compare with the car on path X.
Table 1.1
Y less than X Y same as X Y greater than X
centripetal
acceleration
maximum speed
time taken for one lap
of the track
[3]
[Total: 7]
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