Question

Artificial gravity is produced in a space station by rotating it, so it is a noninertial reference frame. The rotation means that there must be a centripetal force exerted on the occupants: this centripetal force is exerted by the walls of the station. The space station in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is in the shape of a four-spoked wheel with a diameter of 155 m. If the space station rotates at a rate of 2.40 revolutions per minute, what is the magnitude of the artificial gravitational acceleration provided to a space tourist walking on the inner wall of the station?