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Angle of Pendulum Suspended in Turning Car

A car moving with a speed of 54 km/h54\text{ km/h} takes a turn of radius 20 m20\text{ m}. A simple pendulum is suspended from the ceiling of the car. Determine the angle made by the string of the pendulum with the vertical during the turning. (Take g=10 m/s2g = 10\text{ m/s}^2)

Options

A

tan1(0.5)\tan^{-1}(0.5)

B

tan1(0.75)\tan^{-1}(0.75)

C

tan1(1.125)\tan^{-1}(1.125)

Correct
D

tan1(0.25)\tan^{-1}(0.25)

Topics & Concepts

Step-by-Step Solution

To find the angle made by the string of the simple pendulum with the vertical, we analyze the forces acting on the pendulum bob in the non-inertial frame of reference of the turning car.

1. Conversion of Given Quantities:

  • Speed of the car, vv: v=54 km/h=54×518 m/s=15 m/sv = 54 \text{ km/h} = 54 \times \frac{5}{18} \text{ m/s} = 15 \text{ m/s}
  • Radius of the circular turn, R=20 mR = 20 \text{ m}
  • Acceleration due to gravity, g=10 m/s2g = 10 \text{ m/s}^2

2. Force Analysis in the Car's Frame:

In the non-inertial frame of reference attached to the car taking a turn:

  1. Vertical Force: The downward force of gravity acting on the bob of mass mm is mgmg.
  2. Horizontal Force: The outward pseudo-force (centrifugal force) acting on the bob is given by mv2R\frac{mv^2}{R}.
  3. Tension in the String (TT): The string makes an angle θ\theta with the vertical.

Resolving the tension TT along the vertical and horizontal axes:

  • Vertical equilibrium: Tcosθ=mg— (1)T \cos\theta = mg \quad \text{--- (1)}
  • Horizontal equilibrium: Tsinθ=mv2R— (2)T \sin\theta = \frac{m v^2}{R} \quad \text{--- (2)}

3. Calculation of Angle θ\theta:

Dividing equation (2)(2) by equation (1)(1): tanθ=(mv2R)mg=v2Rg\tan\theta = \frac{\left(\frac{m v^2}{R}\right)}{mg} = \frac{v^2}{R g}

Substitute the given values into the formula: tanθ=(15)220×10=225200=1.125\tan\theta = \frac{(15)^2}{20 \times 10} = \frac{225}{200} = 1.125

Taking the inverse tangent on both sides: θ=tan1(1.125)\theta = \tan^{-1}(1.125)


Conclusion:

The angle made by the string of the pendulum with the vertical during the turn is tan1(1.125)\tan^{-1}(1.125), which corresponds to Option C.

Angle of Pendulum Suspended in Turning Car | Physics PYQ Solution - JEE Challenger