SIN Bin: 2011, Problem 1

By Department Faculty

Problem

A large refrigerated cargo plane is delivering crates of ice cubes to the arctic as part of the government's Economic Action Plan. The crates sit unsecured in the middle of the flat floor. Near the drop zone, the plane begins flying in a uniform horizontal circle at 150 m/s.

If the radius of the circle is 500m, and the plane's wings are tilted at an angle θ from the horizontal so that a force on the plane is provided by the lift perpendicular to the wing surface, what is the minimum coefficient of static friction required to keep the crates from sliding?

1. 0.000
2. 0.110
3. 0.217
4. 0.323
5. 0.434