If your bus leans toward the outside on a banked curve, you are driving ________.

If your bus leans toward the outside on a banked curve, you are driving ________.

• A. Too slow
• B. On the wrong side
• C. With improper balance
• D. Too fast

Answer: (D)

On a banked curve, the surface is tilted so the normal force from the road helps provide the inward (toward the curve’s center) force needed to steer the bus. If the bus leans toward the outside of the curve, that outward tilt is a sign your speed is too high for the bank angle. Your inertia wants to keep the bus moving straight, and as speed increases, that outward tendency becomes stronger, making the bus lean away from the center. Slowing down before the curve lets the bank do more of the work to keep you on the inside, reducing the outward lean. So leaning outward shows you’re going too fast for that banked curve.

On a banked curve, the surface is tilted so the normal force from the road helps provide the inward (toward the curve’s center) force needed to steer the bus. If the bus leans toward the outside of the curve, that outward tilt is a sign your speed is too high for the bank angle. Your inertia wants to keep the bus moving straight, and as speed increases, that outward tendency becomes stronger, making the bus lean away from the center. Slowing down before the curve lets the bank do more of the work to keep you on the inside, reducing the outward lean. So leaning outward shows you’re going too fast for that banked curve.