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Grade 12Mechanics

A particle travels along the arc of a circle of radius r.Its velocity depends on the arc coordinate l (distance measured from starting point along the circle) as V=[c.square root of l] ;where c is a constant.Find theangle A between the vectors of the total acceleration and velocity of the particle.

1. tanA =2l/r 2. cosA =2l/r

3. sinA=2l/r 4. cotA =2l/r

Profile image of Anirban Mukherjee
14 Years agoGrade 12
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1 Answer

Profile image of Askiitians Tutor Team
ApprovedApproved Tutor Answer1 Year ago

To find the angle A between the total acceleration vector and the velocity vector of a particle moving along a circular path, we first need to analyze the given information. The velocity of the particle is defined as V = c√l, where c is a constant and l is the arc length from the starting point. Let's break this down step by step.

Understanding Velocity and Acceleration

The velocity vector of the particle is tangential to the circle at any point and has a magnitude of V = c√l. Since the particle is moving along a circular path, we also need to consider the centripetal acceleration, which is directed towards the center of the circle.

Calculating Tangential Acceleration

The tangential acceleration (a_t) can be derived from the change in velocity with respect to time. Since the velocity depends on the arc length, we can express it in terms of time:

  • Using the chain rule, we have: a_t = dV/dt = dV/dl * dl/dt = (d(c√l)/dl) * V.
  • Calculating the derivative: d(c√l)/dl = (c/2√l).
  • Thus, a_t = (c/2√l) * V = (c/2√l) * (c√l) = c²/2.

Centripetal Acceleration

The centripetal acceleration (a_c) is given by the formula:

  • a_c = V²/r.
  • Substituting V = c√l, we get: a_c = (c√l)²/r = c²l/r.

Finding Total Acceleration

The total acceleration (a) of the particle is the vector sum of the tangential and centripetal accelerations. Since these two components are perpendicular to each other, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude of the total acceleration:

  • Magnitude of total acceleration: |a| = √(a_t² + a_c²).
  • Substituting the values: |a| = √((c²/2)² + (c²l/r)²) = √(c⁴/4 + c²l²/r²).

Finding the Angle A

The angle A between the total acceleration vector and the velocity vector can be found using the tangent function, which relates the opposite side (tangential acceleration) to the adjacent side (centripetal acceleration):

  • tanA = a_t / a_c = (c²/2) / (c²l/r) = (r/2l).

However, we need to express this in terms of the options given. Rearranging gives us:

  • tanA = 2l/r.

Final Answer

Thus, the correct relationship is:

  • tanA = 2l/r.

This means the answer to your question is option 1: tanA = 2l/r.