An airplane flies in a semi-circular arc in order to simulate "weightlessness" for its occupants.If the radius of the semicircular path it flies is 3500 m,what is the speed at which the plane flies?
A) 357 m/s
B) 580 m/s
C) 185 m/s
D) 1180 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the speed of the airplane, we can use the formula for centripetal acceleration.

a = v^2/r

where a is the centripetal acceleration, v is the speed of the airplane, and r is the radius of the circular path. We also know that at the top of the semi-circular path, the occupants will experience weightlessness, which means the centripetal acceleration is equal to the acceleration due to gravity, g.

So we have:

g = v^2/r

Solving for v:

v = sqrt(g*r)

Plugging in the given values, we get:

v = sqrt(9.81 m/s^2 * 3500 m)

v = 185 m/s

Therefore, the correct answer is C) 185 m/s.

An Airplane Flies in a Semi-Circular Arc in Order to Simulate