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Acceleration and curves



I did a good deal of driving while on vacation in the beautiful upper
peninsula of Michigan the past ten days and as I drove a question kept
popping into my mind. As I drive through a curve there is the need to
break just before and during the initial segment of the curve in order
to maintain control of the vehicle. After the vehicle is well into the
curve however, I can take my foot off of the break and press on the
throttle to increase speed and still maintain control. What is going on
here? It seems to me that the force the tires exert on the road during a
curve of consistent radius must be the same as long as the vehicle is
turning. Why can I accelerate through the end of such a turn but not
through the beginning? I am thinking that perhaps rotational dynamics
is playing a roll here or perhaps I am not really accelerating at all
but only asking the engine to maintain the vehicles speed by pressing on
the throttle. It seems like I am going faster however. As you can see
I have been unable to discover an answer that satisfies me. Someone
please guide my thinking.

Cliff Parker
Physics Teacher
Highland High School
Highland, IL