Roller coaster Definition and 228 Threads

A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. People ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are often found in amusement parks and theme parks around the world. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, related to the Switchback Railway that opened a year earlier at Coney Island. The track in a coaster design does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters demonstrate. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in which passengers sit and are restrained. Two or more cars hooked together are called a train. Some roller coasters, notably Wild Mouse roller coasters, run with single cars.

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  1. S

    How Much Force Does a Lift Chain Apply to a Roller Coaster?

    Homework Statement THe length that the train is pulled up the lift hill is 120 meters. How much force did the lift chain apply to the coaster to pull it up the hill. Mass of the roller coaster = 4140 kg θ = 66° Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I Tried F=ma to get...
  2. N

    Kinetic and Potential Energy on a roller coaster

    Homework Statement A roller coaster starts at the top of hill that is 10 m high. If it is to barely make it to the top of a second hill that is 20 m high, how fast must the initial speed of the roller coaster be? Assume that the roller coaster is frictionless. Homework Equations KE =...
  3. C

    Roller Coaster Problem with KE and PE

    Homework Statement https://dl.dropbox.com/u/92857534/physicsproblem.png Note: Solving for part D and EHomework Equations Unsure. Langauge in the problem seems ambiguous. Perhaps (KE + PE)b = (KE + PE)a The Attempt at a Solution So I think it's done this way. From A to B and B to C, the...
  4. F

    What is the minimum turn radius for a roller coaster with given conditions?

    Homework Statement A roller coaster car (m = 750kg with passengers) starts with near zero velocity at the top of a 80m section of track that is inclined at -38 degrees from the horizontal. During the descent the average drag force acting on the car is 550 N. At the bottom of the descent is a...
  5. J

    Does a Roller Coaster Conserve Mechanical Energy?

    Homework Statement 1.What is the highest potential energy? 2.What is the biggest change in kinetic energy? 3.If the track is only designed to uses electricity to pull the cars up the first incline, does the rollercoaster experience conservation of mechanical energy? Explain your...
  6. B

    Physics: Cardstock vs. Plastic Tubes for Roller Coaster

    Im wonder if its better to make a rollercoaster from cardstock or plastic tubes? In terms of energy conservation.
  7. F

    Normal force max min constraints on a roller coaster

    Homework Statement passengers cannot have a normal force equal to 0 or greater than 4 times their weight. What are the heights H1 and H2. Coaster starts at H1 and and ends at H2. H1>H2 and there is a low point between the two hills defined as zero height. The radius of the curve at the...
  8. C

    How Does Roller Coaster Physics Calculate Velocity?

    1. A diagram of a roller coaster is given. In the diagram, there are 3 humps in the track. At the top of the first hump(point A) the height is 60m from the ground. Point B is at the bottom of point A and is 5m below the ground. (height from point A to B is -65m). From point B to point C is 64m...
  9. B

    Roller coaster friction problem?

    Homework Statement You're at the amusement park and your friend wants to go on the "Barrel of Fun," where the ride is a cylinder with a vertical axis. You stand against the wall and after the ride is spinning fast enough, the floor drops out beneath you. What is the minimum coefficient of...
  10. C

    Person sitting on scale on roller coaster

    Homework Statement A 120 pound person is sitting on a scale during a roller coaster ride. As the roller coaster goes over the top of a curve whose radius is 30 feet, the scale indicates a force of 25 pounds. The average speed of the roller coaster doesn't change while over this curve...
  11. J

    Finding speed of roller coaster at different points

    Homework Statement Homework Equations KE= 1/2 m v2 PE = mgy The Attempt at a Solution I'm not sure how to start this because there is no given mass. If I use a kinematics equation I don't have an acceleration.
  12. A

    Roller coaster change in acceleration?

    Homework Statement You have taken a job as senior hench-person with Dr. Caasi Notwen, arch-nemesis of James Bond. As with all of Bond’s enemies, Dr. Notwen would like to develop an overly complicated method of dispatching the British super-spy, so he has tasked you with designing a...
  13. J

    Rotational motion roller coaster problem

    Homework Statement Homework Equations ƩF = ma = (mv2) / r The Attempt at a Solution For part A: Fn - Fg = (mv2) / r Fn = ((mv2) / r ) + mg Fn = (500x20^2) / 10 + 500x9.8 Fn = 24900 This seems too high to be true. But I'm unsure of what I did wrong. I know the normal force...
  14. H

    How Do You Calculate the Second Speed of a Roller Coaster at the Loop's Top?

    Homework Statement The radius of curvature of a loop-the-loop for a roller coaster is 14.0 m. At the top of the loop, the force that the seat exerts on a passenger of mass m is 0.35mg. Find the speed of the roller coaster at the top of the loop. (Enter your answers from smallest to largest.)...
  15. A

    What is the Roller Coaster Problem Homework Statement?

    Homework Statement http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4316/capturerey.jpg Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I am completely stuck on this. I thought I would use W=F=ma, but that wouldn't take the height into account. Any help would be greatly appreciated
  16. A

    Roller Coaster Friction Problem

    Homework Statement A roller coaster begins with a 90m hill followed by a 40m diameter loop. Unfortunately, the coaster hits a 20m long rough patch between the bottom of the hill and the loop. If the friction on the rough patch is .8, then can a roller coaster make it through the loop...
  17. W

    How heavy does a roller coaster rider feel?

    Homework Statement A roller coaster rider has a mass of 80 kg and is riding in the coaster shown in the figure. If the vehicle has a speed of 10.0 m/s at the top of the first hill (assume same height as the top of the circle above Point A): a) how "heavy" does the rider feel at point A? b)...
  18. C

    What's Happening on this Roller Coaster?

    Homework Statement The PDF graph shows the g-force values of a roller coaster at specific times during the ride. The normal g-force value during this assignment is -1 because the acceleration due to gravity on Earth is -10 m/s^2. We have to assign each time value from the PDF graph to...
  19. T

    Roller coaster friction calculations

    I have a physics assignment. Part of it is to calculate the speed throughout the rollercoaster and to not exceed 4.5g's of force. Anyway, I'm calculating the speed of the rollercoaster using the formula 0=g(h2-h1)+0.5(v2^2-v1^2)+μNd (I have already simplified to not include the mass...
  20. E

    Downhill to uphill roller coaster velocities on a bike

    first off: hello, I'm new here. Homework Statement This is more of a personal quest than homework, a problem that I made into homework for myself. I set out to determine the equation(s) needed to determine speeds on a mountain bike at the bottom of dirt hills of varying grades and lengths...
  21. V

    Why Does a Penny Appear to Float When Dropped on a Roller Coaster Descent?

    Why would a penny seem to "float" above you if you dropped it as you were descending a roller coaster?
  22. Y

    What Speed Does the Roller Coaster Need to Maintain at the Top of a 14m Loop?

    Homework Statement A roller coaster is moving past the top of a loop of diameter 14m. The Normal force (directed downwards) provided by the track at the top of the loop is equal to one-half the [B]weight[B] of the car. What is the speed of the coaster car at this point?Homework Equations Only...
  23. S

    Roller Coaster Energy Calculations

    The attached problem has clearly confused me. I tried solving it, but I get to a point where I can't go any further. If someone could point me in the right direction I appreciate it. Also the calculations topwards the bottom of the page are from me attempting to solve. Thanks in advance
  24. R

    Backwards Design for Roller Coaster: Projectile Motion

    For my grade 12 physics class, we need to build a roller coaster. We are given a marble weighing 5 grams and it must be projected at the end of the track. It needs to land 0.5 m at a target when it is projected. Since the coaster is made entirely by myself the ramp in which it will be projected...
  25. B

    Why Does a Double Helix on a Roller Coaster Feel Faster?

    Homework Statement When riding a roller coaster, when you enter a double helix why does it feel as if you're speeding up? I'm in the rotational dynamics section, so the answer will most likely be about Conservation of Angular Momentum or something along those lines. I am really interested but...
  26. I

    Circular Motion in a Roller Coaster

    Homework Statement In a certain loop-the-loop roller coaster ride, the coaster is given an intial speed of v ms-1. The coaster then rolls freely under the influence of gravity. The coaster travels down a 10m high slope before arriving at the start of the loop. It then travels the loop which...
  27. 1

    How Do Roller Coasters Use Forces and Motion?

    An explanation of how the ride uses forces and motion. What makes the motion start? What makes it stop? Does the ride move down? What force causes this motion? Does friction affect the ride? Where and how does the ride accelerate?
  28. A

    Roller Coaster Physics- Determining the highest point's height

    [b]1. Homework Statement [/b ]Here’s what you know: Mass is 750 Kg, Velocity is 20 m/s, Gravity remains at 10 m/s2 and Point B’s height is 15 m. Assume that Point A is the highest point and assume there is no friction for this problem. Complete in the order that makes the best sense to...
  29. D

    Calculating Average Power for Raising a Roller Coaster Car

    Hello I have a problem with this exam question does anyone now the solution. Homework Statement A roller coaster car has a mass of 800 kg. The gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg. It takes 20 s for the car to reach K from the start. What is the average power required to raise...
  30. C

    Roller coaster rider weight problem

    Homework Statement Suppose the vertical loop has a radius of 6.81 m. What is the apparent weight (Wap) of a rider on the roller coaster at the bottom of the loop? (Assume that friction between roller coaster and rails can be neglected. Give your answer in terms of m and g.) R = 6.81 m...
  31. G

    Marble loop roller coaster launcher

    Help me here. I need to figure out how to launch a marble so it navigates a vertical loop, then follows projectile motion at the end of the loop The design must use elastic potential energy to do this and must consistantly launch it consistantly to a specifyied location. I can't figure...
  32. M

    Gravitational potential energy (roller coaster)

    Homework Statement A 1000kg roller coaster, with its passengers, starts from rest at point A( h= 9.5 m) on a friction track whose profile is shown in the diagram above at right. a) what is its maximum speed? b) with what speed does the roller coaster arrive at point e? c) What constant...
  33. T

    Roller coaster work gravitational energy.

    Homework Statement a frictionless roller coaster car of mass m = 954 kg tops the first hill with speed v0 = 24.2 m/s at height h = 30.8 m. How much work does the gravitational force do on the car from that point to (a) point A. (same height) Homework Equations The Attempt at a...
  34. A

    Roller coaster cart gaining weight into a loop

    Homework Statement A roller-coaster car starts from rest at a high point 2 times as high as the top of the loop-the-loop. When it is just about to enter the loop from the bottom, a 100 lb bag of bricks fall on the car, causing it to lose 25% of its speed. Neglecting friction, do you think the...
  35. L

    Speed of a Roller Coaster, Conservation of Energy

    Homework Statement A roller coaster travels on a frictionless track as shown in the figure. (a) If the speed of the roller coaster at Point A is 5.0 m/s, what is its speed at Point B? (b) Will it reach Point C? (c) What speed at Point A is required for the roller coaster to reach Point...
  36. M

    Circular Motion of a roller coaster

    A roller caoster track has a hill with a circular curve of radius 20m. Determine the greatest speed that the roller coaster can travel at the top of the curve and not leave contact with the track.
  37. L

    Verifying the Velocity of a Roller Coaster Train

    I've got an answer to a question but I'm not sure if it's correct as i don't have the answers. A roller coaster train is propelled at 57m/s and towards a vertical part of track which has a height of 139m, what is the velocity of the roller coaster train when it reaches the top of the tower...
  38. S

    Solving for Speed: Roller Coaster at the Top of a Loop

    Homework Statement The normal force equals the magnitude of the gravitational force as a roller coaster car crosses the top of a 46m--diameter loop-the-loop. Homework Equations What is the car's speed at the top? The Attempt at a Solution the answer is in m/s I have several...
  39. D

    Exploring Weightlessness on a Frictionless Roller Coaster

    Homework Statement Consider a frictionless roller coaster such as depicted below. The acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s2. Passenger cars start at point A with zero initial speed, accelerate as they go down to point B, swing around the circular vertical loop B ! C ! B of radius 30 m...
  40. K

    Deriving Roller Coaster Speed Equations at Bottom of Slope

    Homework Statement A roller coaster is at the top of a slope moving very slowly. There are three lengths in this problem: h = 53 m is the height of the hill; D = 65 m is the length of the hill; L = 43 m is the length of the coaster. Derive an equation for the speed v1 when the first car...
  41. H

    Roller Coaster and Centripetal Acceleration

    Homework Statement Part of a roller-coaster ride involves coasting down an incline and entering a loop 8.00 m in diameter. For safety considerations, the roller coaster speed at the top of the loop must be such that the force of the seat on a rider is equal in magnitude to the rider's weigt...
  42. A

    Final velocity problem involving a roller coaster changing height

    A roller coaster (475kg) passes point C with a velocity of 10.0 ms-1, calculate the velocity of the roller coaster at point A. mass = 475 kg velocity at C = 10 ms-1 height at A = 30m height at B = 0m height at C = 25m height at D = 12m Ep = mgh Ek = 1/2mv^2 The trolley is moving...
  43. X

    Kinetic Energy of 840 Kg Roller Coaster Trolley

    A roller coaster trolley and its passengers have a mass 840 Kg. The trolly comes over the top of the first hill with a speed of .200 m/s. The hill is 85.0 m above the ground. The trolley goes down the first hill and up the crest of the second hill 64.0 m above ground. Ignore the effects of...
  44. D

    How can I create a model roller coaster without using additional energy?

    I need some suggestions for how to create a model roller coaster that does not use additional energy (electricity, or touching the model in progress ) and can re-run the entire model twice. Since creating a perpetual device with 100% efficiency is unfeasable, my instructor was generous enough...
  45. T

    Calculating the normal force of a roller coaster

    A roller coaster car of mass 960 kg starts at a distance of H = 20 above the bottom of a loop 12 m in diameter. If the friction in negligible, find the normal force of the rails on the car when i it is a) pside down the top of the loop and b) at the bottom of hte loop i have no idea how to do...
  46. N

    Roller Coaster Lab: Solve 2 Cubic Polynomials & Graph Solution

    Hey guys! Long time reader, first time poster. I have a lab that I'm trying to get done in Calculus 1 and I'm having a some problems. The basic idea is to come up with 2 equations that compliment a graph and are continuous. Homework Statement You are to design a small section of a...
  47. N

    How Do Gravity and Acceleration Interact on a Roller Coaster?

    I got a question: If a roller coaster is going up the hill (potential energy) then when it goes down it gets converted into kinetic energy by gravity right? Also As you go down the first big drop of the roller coaster (gravity going downwards 9.81 m/s2) how does acceleration come in play...
  48. S

    Building a roller coaster in school

    Not using template since it doesn't really fit. I have to build a rollercoaster for school (grade 12) and it's due at the end of the month. There's no restrictions, so you can build it using whatever materials and such that you want. It's graded based on loops and hills. Every loop is 20%...
  49. V

    Centripetal acceleration in a roller coaster loop

    Homework Statement I performed an experiment with a plastic tube and a ball. The tube was shaped into a roller coaster track with a circular vertical loop of diameter 0.12 m. I have to calculate the centripetal acceleration of the ball while in motion within the loop. I have only studied...
  50. M

    How Does Train Length Affect Speed on a Sine-Shaped Rollercoaster Track?

    Homework Statement Imagine there is a piece of sine-shaped rollercoaster track. We compare trains of different length which all have the same average speed riding over the track. If all friction is neglected, is the difference between the maximum and minimum speed: A. bigger for longer trains...
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