Concept Questions (a) The acceleration of a NASCAR race car is zero. Does this n

Question

Concept Questions (a) The acceleration of a NASCAR race car is zero. Does this necessarily mean that the velocity of the car is also zero? (b) If the speed of the car is constant as it goes around the track, is its average acceleration necessarily zero? Justify your answers.






Problem (a) Suppose that the race car is moving to the right with a constant velocity of +82 m/s. What is the average acceleration of the car? (b) Twelve seconds later, the car is halfway around the track and traveling in the opposite direction with the same speed. What is the average acceleration of the car? Verify that your answers agree with your answers to the Concept Questions.

Explanation / Answer

A)     The car could be traveling at a constant velocity.

B)     The car's speed remains constant as it travels around the track, but its velocity changes. (Velocity is speed AND direction). Since its direction changes, it is accelerating towards some fixed point. (All curved motions are an acceleration towards a point).

so the INSTANTANEOUS acceleration is zero.

(There WAS acceleration in the turn as the direction

changed so from + 87M/S to -87M/S in 12 seconds is 174M/S divided by the 12 seconds).

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