An object travels in a circular path at speed v and experiences a centripetal acceleration ac. What will be the object's new centripetal acceleration, if its speed is increased to 2.0v?

2.0 · ac

4.0 · ac

1.4 · ac

0.71 · ac

Question

An object travels in a circular path at speed v and experiences a centripetal acceleration ac. What will be the object's new centripetal acceleration, if its speed is increased to 2.0v?


2.0 · ac


4.0 · ac


1.4 · ac


0.71 · ac

matt101 · Answer

You can figure this out by looking at the equation for centripetal acceleration:

$$a_c={v^2 \over r}$$
If you double v, what happens to ac?