MadSci Network: Physics |
I've seen spoilers on the back of race cars and skirts on the bottom and I wonder what these accomplish for the car on a banked track. I understand that friction between tires and road creates traction and I understand some of the physics of taking turns, that a component of the normal force is directed horizontally toward the center of the curve and thereby allows for higher speed than on a flat road (when FNsintheta=m*v^2/r no friction is needed to keep from skidding) but I don't understand the physics behind using spoilers and channeling air beneath the car to take the turns faster.
Re: What devices help race cars take turns at faster speeds? And how?
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