What is the magnitude of the acceleration of a speck of clay on the edge of a potter's wheel turning at 45 rpm (revolutions per minute) if the wheel's diameter is 35 cm?

Explanation:

The equation for centripetal acceleration is .

We know the wheel turns at 45 rpm, which means 0.75 revolutions per second (dividing by 60), so our frequency is f=0.75Hz, which is the inverse of the period T.

Our velocity is the relation between the distance traveled and the time taken, so is the relation between the circumference and the period T, then we have:

Putting all together:

the independent variable, the one that is intentionally manipulated, is whether or not the car hits the barrier.

the dependent variable, the one that you measure the response in, is the distance that the washers travel.