Question

A cat rides a merry-go-round tuning with a uniform circular motion. At t₁= 2.00 s, the cat's velocity is given by v_x= 3.00 m/s and v_y= 4.00 m/s. At t₂= 5.00 s, the cat's velocity is given by v_x= -3.00 m/s and v_y= -4.00 m/s. Take the coordinate system of the merry-go-round to have its origin at the center.

(a) What is the magnitude of the cat's centripetal acceleration?

(b) What is the magnitude of the cat's average acceleration during the time interval t₂ - t₁?

(c) Assuming uniform circular motion before t₁, what would have been the x-y coordinate location of the cat at t₀ = 0.00 s?

(d) What angle relative to the positive y-axis does the centripetal acceleration vector point at t = 3.00 s?  

Answer 1