Centripetal Acceleration (Problem 16)

Olympic ice skaters are able to spin at about 5 rev/s. (a) What is their angular velocity in radians per second? (b) What is the centripetal acceleration of the skater’s nose if it is 0.120 m from the axis of rotation? (c) An exceptional skater named Dick Button was able to spin much faster in the 1950s than anyone since—at about 9 rev/s. What was the centripetal acceleration of the tip of his nose, assuming it is at 0.120 m radius? (d) Comment on the magnitudes of the accelerations found. It is reputed that Button ruptured small blood vessels during his spins. Select the answer to part (a).