A child on a spinning playground ride is 0.36 m from the center of the ride. The centripetal force on the child is 19 N. What is the mass of the child if the child has a tangential speed of 0.54 m/s?
Any motion in a curved path represents
accelerated motion, and requires a force directed toward the center of curvature of the
path. This force is called the centripetal force which means "center
seeking" force. The force has the magnitude
F = mv^2 / r
Where f is the centripetal force
M is the mass
V is the velocity
R is the radius
19 N = m ( 0.54 m/s)^2 / 0.36 m
Solving for m
M = 23.5 kg