Click here for extra practiceA graphing calculator is needed to complete this section.
In this section, real world problems with square roots will be explored.
Example: The Fun in the Sun amusement park has a variety of roller coasters and spinning rides. The formula v = √ar can be used to find the velocity in meters per second of a car on a spinning ride, where r represents the radius of the curve in meters and a represents the car's acceleration in meters per second squared. For safety purposes, any ride that spins has a maximum acceleration of 39.2 meters per second m s2 . The popular Tarantula ride has a curve radius of 2 meters, what is the maximum velocity a car on this ride could travel?
| Substitute the given information (r = 2 and a = 39.2) into the formula. |
v = √ar |
| Simplify. | v = √(2)(39.2) |
| Use your calculator to approximate the square root. |
v = √78.4 |
| Solution: The maximum velocity for a car on this ride is 8.85 meters per second. | v ≈ 8.85 |