Tuesday, November 11, 2014

newtonian mechanics - Does car lose kinetic energy when turning?



I am writing simple car simulation.


Assume non friction, then in straight line the car doesn't lose speed. But what if the car is turning, there should be some kinetic energy loses to change the direction of the car, so I should subtract some speed based on changing direction, isn't it right?


Deeper explanation is welcome.



Answer



Assuming non friction, we must assume the car turns because it is held by a rope or chain to a point. The turning itself will not take energy from the system, what you have now is a constant speed that is tangent to the circle the car is following at the current car position.


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