Need help in my physics class

Question

A race car rounds a curve at 51 m/s. The radius of the curve is 441 m, and the car's mass is 670 kg. (Assume the car's speed remains constant. Take the radially inward direction to be positive. Indicate the direction with the sign of your answer.)

(a) What is the car's (centripetal) acceleration?

 m/s²

What is it in g's?

 

What is the centripetal force acting on the car?

 

Answer 1

Let

v = 51m/s be the car's speed,

r = 441 m be the radius of the curve,

m = 670 kg be the car's mass,

g = 9.8 m/s² be gravitational acceleration.

The formula for centripetal acceleration is a = v²/r,

so plugging in actual values:

a = 51² m²/s² / 441 m = 5.9 m/s²

which is about 0.6 g.

Force F = am,

so plugging in values:

F = 5.9 m/s² * 670 kg = 3953 N