Question

An aircraft executes a horizontal loop of radius 1.00 km with a steady speed of 900 km/h. Compare its centripetal acceleration with the acceleration due to gravity.

Answer 1

Radius of the loop, r = 1 km = 1000 m
Speed of the aircraft, v = 900 km/h = $\frac{5}{ 18}$ 18 = 250 m/s
Centripetal acceleration, ac = $\frac{v^2}{r}$
= (2$\frac{(250)^ 2}{ 1000 }$= 62.5 m/s2

Acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.8 m/s2
$\frac{a_c}{ g} = \frac{62.5 }{ 9.8 }$= 6.38
ac = 6.38g