Meriam, Kraige & Bolton — Kinematics of Particles: Problem 2_135

2/135 An amusement ride called the “corkscrew” takes the passengers through the upside-down curve of a horizontal cylindrical helix. The velocity of the cars as they pass position A is 15 m/s, and the component of their acceleration measured along the tangent to the path is \(g \cos \gamma\) at this point. The effective radius of the cylindrical helix is 5 m, and the helix angle is \(\gamma = 40^\circ\). Compute the magnitude of the acceleration of the passengers as they pass position A.