- #1
miyayeah
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Homework Statement
If the car is going 30 m/s half way up the loop and loses energy due to friction at a rate of 2.0J per meter of track, how fast will it be going at the top?
(this is question related to the loop of roller coaster track, with radius 20m.)
Homework Equations
1. Ki + Ui = Kf + Uf
2. Ki + Ui = Kf + Uf + energy lost by friction
The Attempt at a Solution
So I found the final velocity (22.5m/s) using the first equation in the list above. I need to find Δx, so I thought of using Δx = v⋅t + ½at2, but I am not sure if the acceleration here would be -9.8m/s2. How would you find the acceleration in this case?
If I know the acceleration I believe I will be able to find time and Δx taken for the roller coaster to go from half way point to the top point, and then I can figure out how much J of energy is lost by friction and use equation 2 to find the final velocity.