|
Reflecting on the Activity and the Challenge The loop on a roller coaster is one of The Big Thrills. People are always nervous that they will fall out of the roller coaster when it is upside down. This does not happen because you arrive there with a large velocity. The gravitational force (weight) at the top of the roller coaster serves as the centripetal force that moves the roller coaster in a circular path. All objects moving in circles require a centripetal force toward the center. With a toy car attached to a string, the tension in the string is the centripetal force. A roller coaster car rounding a turn has the wheels in the track providing the centripetal force. A roller coaster making a turn on its side has the track's normal force as the centripetal force. The upside-down roller coaster has the gravity as the centripetal force. At the bottom of the loop, the normal force provides the centripetal force. This force must be larger than the gravitational force and passengers feel much heavier at the bottom of the loop. In designing your roller coaster, you will have to ensure that the roller coaster has enough speed to make the full circle. You will also have to ensure that it doesn't have so much speed at the bottom that the apparent weight is too great or the passengers may get injured. Physics To Go 1. A battery-operated toy car is attached to a string.
|
||
|
|||
