| Givens: |
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v |
= 12.0 m/s |
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R |
= 20.0 m |
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m |
= 300.0 kg |
| Solution: |
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a |
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= 7.2 m/s2 |
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F |
= ma |
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= (300.0 kg)(7.2 m/s2) |
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= 2200 N |
| This force will have to be supplied by the track to the wheels of the coaster. |
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For You To Read
Centripetal Force
The fun of a roller coaster is the fun of whipping around the turns and flipping upside down. All objects moving in circles require a force toward the center of the circle. In a roller coaster moving around the curve, this force is the track on the wheels of the car when the wheels are down during the curve.
In a roller coaster curve where the car tilts vertically and the wheels face the outside of the circle, the force toward the center is the force of the wall holding the track.
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This is called a normal force FN because it is normal (perpendicular) to the wall.
In any circular motion, the force that keeps the object moving in a circle is called the centripetal force. The toy car moving in a circle had a centripetal force that was the force of tension in the attached string. A car moving around a curve has the force of friction between the tires and road as the centripetal force. The roller coaster car rounding a turn on its side may have the force of the track as the centripetal force. The centripetal force is not an additional force. |
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