Physics: Principles with Applications (7th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32162-592-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-32162-592-2

Chapter 5 - Circular Motion; Gravitation - Questions: 8


The water is held inside the bucket with centripetal force when spun at a sufficient speed.

Work Step by Step

As the water comes over the top of the arc, it is moving in a curved path of radius r, and is therefore accelerating. The net force must be directed downward/inward, toward the center of the circle. The 2 forces acting on the water at that instant are gravity (pulling downward) and the normal force from the bucket (also pushing downward). The net force is downward. At a critical minimum speed $v = \sqrt{gr}$, the normal force is exactly zero, and gravity provides all of the centripetal force to keep the water moving in a circle. If the bucket is moving more slowly than that, water will spill out.
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