Consider a cyclist on a banked section of a circular track.
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
Consider a cyclist on a banked section of a circular track.
(1) Draw a free-body force diagram for the cyclist. (You do not need to think about the friction force between the cycle's tyres and the track.)
(2) Use your free-body force diagram to derive an expression for the angle, θ , of the banked track in terms of the speed of the cyclist, v , and the radius of the circular track, r .
(3) Explain why the angle of banking for an Olympic cyclist track is likely to be larger than that for an amateur cyclist track.