- #1
rainstom07
- 16
- 0
In the figure, at the point where the orange car is at, what is preventing the car from falling down to the earth? Where does the force [tex]\vec{F}_u[/tex] comes from?
From the car's velocity? If so, how could it? Isn't the velocity at the point completely in the x direction? Thus, there is no y direction to counteract the pull of gravity and centripetal force.
In this case, is the centripetal force created by the car's weight and the "normal force"? By normal force, i mean that the car drives into the loop-d-loop and that creates the normal force. Also, is there even a normal force when the car is at the point where the orange car is?
sorry :( i find this really confusing. I want to say the centrifugal "force" is creating upward force necessary to keep car from falling, but where does it come from? The force of the weight is provided by the earth, the centripetal force is provided by...?
Thanks in advance.