Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/paper-1/section-a/a5/solution
Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 1 Section A A5 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
A stationary person relative to the rim has centripetal acceleration . If is a signed walking speed relative to the rim, the inertial tangential speed is , so the inward normal reaction satisfiesConsequently the support force per mass, and hence apparent weight, is for and zero for . In the latter case the walker has zero inertial speed and needs no centripetal support; ordinary weight-bearing contact cannot be assumed to persist without a restraint. For artificial gravity in a rotating ring, the centrifugal force and the Coriolis force alone are insufficient: the walker also has relative-path centripetal acceleration . Omitting it would give the wrong apparent weights at these large walking speeds.
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