- c) Draw an arrow showing the direction of the force that keeps the coaster moving in a circle.
5. There are two orientations of the roller coaster car you will investigate as it travels in a horizontal circle. The passengers can be sitting up as they would in an automobile with the wheels of the roller coaster down. They could also be on their sides with the wheels of the roller coaster facing away from the center of the circle. In each of these orientations, the force moving the car in a circle will be toward the center. |
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 a) Is that the way that you drew it in Step 4? Make any changes necessary to your diagram.- b) Identify what force causes the roller coaster to move in the circle in each of these two cases. To help you identify the forces, you may want to imagine the circumstances with which the roller coaster would not "hold the turn" but would move off in a straight line.
6. The roller coaster may also do a loop-the-loop as it travels in a vertical circle. If the loop were a perfect circle, as illustrated below, there would always have to be a force toward the center of circle.
- a) Make a sketch of the loop in your Active Physics log.
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