A traffic policeman at an intersection observes car A at 40 m distance moving at 20 m/s along a road making 53° with the line of sight, and car B at 20 m distance moving perpendicular to the line of sight at 10 m/s. Which car appears to move faster angularly?

Question

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

Apparent angular speed about the policeman is v⊥/r. For A, ω(A)=(20 sin53°)/40≈0.4 rad/s. For B, ω(B)=10/20=0.5 rad/s. Thus B appears to move faster, option B.