*28. Mmh A racetrack has the shape of an inverted cone, as the drawing shows. On this surface the cars race in circles that are parallel to the ground. For a speed of 34.0 m/s, at what value of the distance d should a driver locate his car if he wishes to stay on a circular path without depending on friction?

Assuming no friction, the free body diagram looks like

R is the radius of the circle that the driver is driving on and d is the distance from the apex of the cone.  The relationship between R and d and q is:

 

Sum the forces in y and x directions

 

 

 

 

 

Now that we have R we can find the desired distance d.

 

 

 

 

 

Please send any comments or questions about this page to ddonovan@nmu.edu

This page last updated on January 11, 2020