Then, one day, the captain fires rockets which accelerate the station at alpha = 0.02 rad/s^2 for t = 10 sec.
What is the centripetal acceleration at the outer rim after the engines have fired?
Answer: The original centripetal acceleration is a(centripetal) = 9.8 m/s^2 = R * omega^2 Therefore, the initial angular velocity is 9.8 m/s^2 omega = sqrt(---------) = 0.443 rad/s 50 m When the captain fires the engines, he increases the angular velocity to omega = 0.443 rad/s + (0.02 rad/s^2) * (10 s) = 0.443 rad/s + 0.20 rad/s = 0.643 rad/s So the centripetal acceleration on the rim is now a(centripetal) = R * omega^2 = (50 m) * (0.643 rad/s)^2 = 20.7 m/s^2
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