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Dead Man's Curve

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A car is rounding the unbanked Dead Man's Curve at a speed of 40 m/sec when the driver observes (at the initial position shown) that the bridge is out and hits the brakes. $R = 500$ m for this curve, and the tires have a coefficient of static friction $\mu_s = 0.5$.

a) Can the car go around the curve travelling a constant speed without skidding off of the cliff and Plunging to its Doom?

b) If the car were equipped with antilock brakes could their tangential force (exerted as if the car were travelling in a straight line of length $\pi R$), could it stop before Plunging to its Doom in the ravine?

c) Will the car Plunge to its Doom no matter what the driver does? Justify this answer?



Robert G. Brown 2000-12-09