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Re: L2-"Negotiating" a curve.



At 2:17 PM -0500 11/4/99, Richard Tarara wrote:
Two different vector diagrams. In the case of the inclined plane, you are
breaking up mg into components along and normal to the plane. mg ends up to
be the hypotenuse of the vector triangle and N one of those components. In
the banked turn you are breaking up the normal into vertical and horizontal
components. In that vector triangle it is N that is the hypotenuse with mg
one of the components. I think that explains the differences.

Rick


In GENERAL students are well advised to choose a set of coordinate
axes that are parallel and perpendicular to 'any acceleration that
results',

I have found this to be a good general rule but I'm SURE that some of
the more experienced problem solvers on this list can come up with
exceptions to this Rule of Thumb.


Inclined plane - acc. Is tilted, so choose tilted axes.

Banked Curve - acc is horizontal, so choose horizontal and vertical axes.

-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-
\ / \ / \ N / \ C / \ S / \ S / \ M / \ / \ /
`-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-'
Chuck Britton Education is what is left when
britton@odie.ncssm.edu you have forgotten everything
North Carolina School of Science & Math you learned in school.
(919) 286-3366 x224 Albert Einstein, 1936