Engineers design a cylindrical space station that rotates to simulate artificial gravity
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
Engineers design a cylindrical space station that rotates to simulate artificial gravity. The living quarters are located on the inner surface of a ring of radius 120m. A resident of mass 80kg would like the apparent weight (normal force exerted by the floor) to be 640N while walking inside the ring.
(a) Determine the angular speed (in rads−1) the station must have to provide the desired apparent weight. Assume the resident’s walking speed relative to the floor is negligible compared with the rotation speed.
(b) Calculate the corresponding period of rotation.
(c) Suppose the station is later expanded by adding an outer ring of radius 180m that rotates rigidly with the original ring. If the angular speed remains the same as the value found in part (a), compute the apparent weight of the resident when standing on the outer ring.
(d) To restore the original apparent weight of 640N on the outer ring, determine the new period of rotation required. Explain briefly why the period, not just the angular speed, is the natural design parameter engineers often specify in this context.