A cyclist of total mass (rider plus bicycle) 85 kg rounds a flat
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A cyclist of total mass (rider plus bicycle) 85 kg rounds a flat, circular track of radius 50 m. As the cyclist negotiates the turn, she steadily increases her speed from 5.0 m s⁻¹ to 9.0 m s⁻¹ in 4.0 s while remaining on the same circular path.
(a) Calculate the magnitude of the radial (centripetal) component of the cyclist’s acceleration at the end of the 4.0 s interval.
(b) Determine the magnitude of the tangential component of her acceleration during this interval, assuming it is constant.
(c) Find the magnitude of the net acceleration vector at the end of the 4.0 s interval.
(d) Determine the angle, measured from the inward radial direction toward the direction of motion, that the net acceleration vector makes at the end of the 4.0 s interval.
(e) Qualitatively describe how the angle you found in part (d) changed, if at all, during the 4.0 s interval while the speed was increasing.