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helpme101
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Homework Statement
A rollercoaster consists of a 45 degree slope that is 100 m long followed by two loops which have radii of 40 m and 20 m respectively. If the rollercoaster accelerates down the initial slope due to gravity, determine:
a. The acceleration of the rollercoaster down the 45 degree slope.
b. The acceleration of the rollercoaster as it starts each loop. You can assume the speed of the roller coaster entering each loop is the same as the speed at the bottom of the initial slope.
c. The limit of the body's ability to withstand acceleration is approximately 5 g or 49.05ms^-2 is the roller coaster safe for the average person to ride?
Homework Equations
F=ma
The Attempt at a Solution
For part A: isn't the acceleration of the rollercoaster -9.81ms^-2? The start of the problem states that "if the rollercoaster accelerates down the initial slope due to gravity, determine..." If this isn't correct would I somehow use Newton's Second law, however I don't know the mass of the cart or the force.
For part B: I know that the two radii have a role on acceleration. Do I need to apply Newton's Second law?
For part C: would I be looking at the apparent weight? However, I'm not given the mass of the average person, so should I ask the professor for that??