Fun Facts

Yes they do.  Wide tires which are used by dragsters come in different sturdiness or durometer ratings.  If the tires are soft, there will be more initial friction.  You will observe that the use of these wide tires has no importance with the friction.

When the car is in full stop, the tires’ diameter is small.  Once the tires are rolling, they were made in such a way that the centripetal force allow the diameter of the tire to expand.  This causes some favorable effects to shift the final drive gear ratio to higher speeds.

Racers are meticulous in determining the size of tires to have an optimum increase in diameter over a specific rotational acceleration of the wheel.  This makes the race avail of the very limited narrow torque curve of their engines which are moving the gears frequently.  This reason is more acceptable than the width/friction reason.

Friction is surface independent in some cases but not in all aspects especially for tires.  Based on engineering, the friction force is equivalent to the force giving pressures to the 2 surfaces together.  This may be applicable only to certain conditions and objects.  The constant factor of proportion is called coefficient of friction.

The coefficient of friction depends on the component and condition of both surfaces having friction.  If the surface becomes hard and adherent, that means that friction theory is not working.  There must be large friction forces if there is lack of forces pushing the 2 surfaces together.  When the surfaces adhere together when you force them to separate, a negative static friction coefficient may occur.

Therefore, the forces of friction of the tires are not related to the size.
Drag racers have 1 speed transmission that slips the clutch during the race.  Dragsters prefer the right width, height and tire compound that provides the maximum friction during the race.

Therefore it is clear that the forces of friction of the tires are not related to the size.  The reason why tires used in drag racing are wide is to make them firm not to slip when spinning and the car is heading to different directions.  What measures when the tires tend to slip is the point when static friction is overcome by sliding friction.

Therefore that force must widen the area of the tires.  The wider and bigger the tires are, the bigger is the force against slipping and therefore the faster the racing car accelerates.

During burnout, a melting on the surface can be felt but wide tires neutralize slippery concrete in general.  This brief burnout puts some water to the tires to make the tire tacky and also takes out dirt in the surface of the tires.  At times, wings are installed to expert fuel dragsters that results in a downward force.

This downward force can go as high as 8000 pounds on a 2000 pound engine when travelling 300 mph.  Thus tire slipping is not considered a problem in high acceleration because the tires are made stable to neutralize slipping.

Fun Stuff car speed, drag racing, speed

When we talk of spacecraft acceleration, we usually refer to those fast-moving objects in the orbit going around the earth on a travel mission towards a planet.  These spacecrafts obtain their velocity as well as position and direction from the ground stations.

By the use of Doppler Shift, time delay and baseline information, the position, direction, speed and velocity of a spacecraft can be determined with precision in relation to the earth.  The speed and direction of the earth are known precisely and thru a combination of this information, you will know your movements in the solar system.

If you are moving accurately, you can utilize the on-board accelerometer.  By knowing your rate of acceleration, you can ascertain your velocity.  In case you want to know your exact acceleration within the area of the universe, this may not be possible because the accelerometer has no capacity to sense the movements of a planet where you are orbiting.

The instrument will read zero whether you are in space or going around a certain planet.  Let us say that you are inside the spacecraft and orbiting the earth, and you want to know your position and how fast you are moving, you can try the optical methods.

By looking at the nearby planets and stars with a high-powered telescope, you can find out where you are.  You can search the database that indicate where the stars and planets are located based on space and time and analyze them relative to your position.

Based on Physics, acceleration is the rate of variation in velocity against time.  In simple definition, acceleration is the process of increasing the speed of an object.  In the case of a car, when it is said that the speed is changing from zero to 60 in 6.7 seconds, this means the car accelerates in 6.7 seconds to reach 60 mph starting from a full stop.

This case indicates a simple acceleration theory; however, in Physics it is more complicated than just ascertaining the speed of a car.  Acceleration in Physics involves the increasing, decreasing and changes in the direction of a moving object.  Another acceleration determinant is the acceleration caused by gravity.

This can be felt in roller coasters which rarely exceed 60 mph.  But when it accelerates from high to low, the acceleration due to gravity is increased creating a dangerous proportion.  In the case of spacecraft, acceleration is maintained at a normal level because if it is increased above the normal level, there will be corresponding stress felt by the Astronauts.

Always remember that acceleration is related to injury.  This is the reason why the most reliable gauge to an accident experiment is the accelerometer.  Heavy acceleration can lead to injury or death.  When Princess Diana died in an accident, the acceleration was found at an overwhelming speed that is why it was impossible for her to survive.

This was worsened by the impact of her body to the car which crashed on the outside surface due to her failure to wear seatbelt.

Fun Facts measurement, speed, speed of spacecraft