Calculating velocity

User Generated

ronearf0219

Science

Description

Engineers are trying to create artificial "gravity" in a ringshaped space station by spinning it like a centrifuge. The ring is 150 m in radius. How quickly must the space station turn in order to give the astronauts inside it apparent weights equal to their real weights at the earth’s surface?

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Explanation & Answer

Earth pulls on us at a rate of 9.8m/s. The question becomes how quickly would the centrifuge have to rotate in order to reach a speed of 9.8m/s.

The circumference of the space station is equal to pi times the diameter = pi(300m) = 942.48m

This is the distance traveled by the space station in one revolution.

By traveling 9.8m/s to simulate gravity means that after one second the space ship has traveled 9.8m/942.48m = 1.04% of the circle

X 60 = 62.40% of the circle after a minute.

Thus if the space ship were to travel .624rpm you would have reached speeds of 9.8m/s and simulated gravity.


Anonymous
I was struggling with this subject, and this helped me a ton!

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