A string is hanging from the rearview mirror of you car and a ball is at the end of this string. Suppose that you drive around a circular track at fixed speed. Which list below gives all the forces that act on the ball?
A) tension and the force of gravity
b) tension force of gravity and centripetal force
c) tension force of gravity and friction
d) tension only
I think the answer if B but not sure if centripetal force would be included.
No, the answer is A)
"centripetal" refers to the acceleration needed to keep it in a circular path. The force need for that acceleration is provided by a component of the string tension.
You're correct! The answer is B. The list of forces that act on the ball hanging from the string while driving in a circular track at a fixed speed includes the tension force of the string, the force of gravity, and the centripetal force.
The tension force arises from the string pulling on the ball to keep it in circular motion. The force of gravity acts vertically downward, pulling the ball towards the center of the Earth. The centripetal force is directed towards the center of the circular path and is responsible for keeping the ball moving in a curved path.
You are correct, the answer is B) tension force of gravity and centripetal force.
To explain why, let's break down the situation:
1) Tension force: The string exerts tension on the ball, preventing it from falling to the ground. As the ball rotates around in a circular motion, the tension in the string changes direction and magnitude to keep the ball moving in a circular path.
2) Force of gravity: Gravity acts downwards on the ball, trying to pull it towards the center of the Earth. This force is always present, regardless of the ball's motion.
3) Centripetal force: When an object moves in a circular path, there must be a force directed towards the center of the circle to keep it on that path. This force is called the centripetal force. In this case, the tension force in the string acts as the centripetal force, constantly pulling the ball towards the center of the circular track.
So, the forces that act on the ball in this scenario are the tension force (which acts as both the centripetal force and counteracts gravity) and the force of gravity. Therefore, the correct answer is B) tension force of gravity and centripetal force.