A passenger rides a roller-coaster car that travels along a vertical circular arc of…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A 65kg passenger rides a roller-coaster car that travels along a vertical circular arc of radius 18m. At the lowest point of the arc the passenger is moving horizontally and the seat exerts an upward normal force of 1050N on the passenger. Assume the track is smooth and the passenger’s speed changes negligibly over the short time interval considered.
(a) Calculate the passenger’s speed at the lowest point.
(b) If the passenger maintained that same speed at the very top of the arc, determine the magnitude of the normal force exerted by the seat at the top. State whether the force is upward or downward.
(c) Determine the minimum speed the passenger must have at the top in order to remain in contact with the seat (normal force just equals zero).
(d) Using your answer from part (c), find the corresponding normal force that would be exerted at the lowest point if the passenger entered the arc at exactly that minimum speed. Comment on how this compares to the normal force you found in part (a).