What generates centripetal force in a vehicle?

What generates centripetal force in a vehicle?

• A. Engine torque
• B. Friction
• C. Gravity
• D. Air resistance

Answer: (B)

Turning requires an inward acceleration toward the center of the curve. The only real horizontal force that can supply this inward pull is friction between the tires and the road. Static friction acts at the contact patch and points toward the center, providing the centripetal force that keeps the vehicle in a curved path. Engine torque gets the car moving, but it doesn’t push it inward; gravity acts vertically downward and is balanced by the normal force, and air resistance acts opposite the motion and doesn’t supply inward curvature. So friction is the force that generates centripetal acceleration for a turning vehicle.

Turning requires an inward acceleration toward the center of the curve. The only real horizontal force that can supply this inward pull is friction between the tires and the road. Static friction acts at the contact patch and points toward the center, providing the centripetal force that keeps the vehicle in a curved path. Engine torque gets the car moving, but it doesn’t push it inward; gravity acts vertically downward and is balanced by the normal force, and air resistance acts opposite the motion and doesn’t supply inward curvature. So friction is the force that generates centripetal acceleration for a turning vehicle.