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Ch 04: Kinematics in Two Dimensions
Chapter 4, Problem 8

You are driving your 1800 kg car at 25 m/s over a circular hill that has a radius of 150 m. A deer running across the road causes you to hit the brakes hard while right at the summit of the hill, and you start to skid. The coefficient of kinetic friction between your tires and the road is 0.75. What is the magnitude of your acceleration as you begin to slow?

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1
Identify the forces acting on the car: gravitational force (mg) acting downwards and the normal force (N) from the road acting upwards. When the car is at the summit of the hill, these forces are vertically aligned.
Calculate the normal force (N) using the equation for centripetal force required to keep the car moving in a circular path: N = mg - \frac{mv^2}{r}, where m is the mass of the car, g is the acceleration due to gravity, v is the velocity of the car, and r is the radius of the circular hill.
Determine the frictional force (f_k) using the equation f_k = \mu_k N, where \mu_k is the coefficient of kinetic friction. This force acts opposite to the direction of the car's velocity, providing the deceleration.
Calculate the net force acting on the car using the equation F_{net} = f_k, since the only horizontal force once the car starts skidding is the frictional force.
Find the magnitude of the car's acceleration (a) using Newton's second law, F_{net} = ma, where F_{net} is the net force and m is the mass of the car. Solve for a to find the car's deceleration due to skidding.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Centripetal Acceleration

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration directed towards the center of a circular path, necessary for an object to maintain circular motion. It is calculated using the formula a_c = v^2 / r, where v is the velocity and r is the radius of the circular path. In this scenario, the car experiences centripetal acceleration as it drives over the hill, which affects its overall acceleration when braking.
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Friction and Kinetic Friction Coefficient

Friction is the force that opposes the relative motion of two surfaces in contact. The coefficient of kinetic friction (μ_k) quantifies this force when an object is sliding. In this case, the coefficient of kinetic friction between the tires and the road is 0.75, which will determine the deceleration of the car as it skids after hitting the brakes.
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Newton's Second Law of Motion

Newton's Second Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass, expressed as F = ma. This principle is crucial for calculating the car's deceleration due to friction and the net forces acting on it as it begins to slow down after braking.
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Intro to Forces & Newton's Second Law