How Fast is the Roller Coaster Car at the Top of the Hill?

AI Thread Summary
To determine the speed of a roller coaster car at the top of a 10 m radius hill where its apparent weight is half its true weight, the relevant equations are A = v^2/r and F = ma. The apparent weight being half indicates that the net force acting on the car is equal to its weight minus the centripetal force required to keep it moving in a circle. The weight cancels out in the calculations, simplifying the problem. The discussion emphasizes the importance of correctly applying these principles to solve for the car's velocity. Understanding the relationship between apparent weight and centripetal force is crucial for finding the solution.
hbteen
Messages
1
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



As a roller coaster car crosses on the top of a 10 m radius hill (the track is underneath the car), its apparent weight is one-half its true weight. What is the car's speed at the top?


Homework Equations




A=v^2/r
F=ma

The Attempt at a Solution



I tried saying the weight was .5 and solving for velocity, but I still have a missing # for the Force variable.
Where do I go from there?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Welcome to PF!

Hi hbteen! Welcome to PF! :smile:
hbteen said:
As a roller coaster car crosses on the top of a 10 m radius hill (the track is underneath the car), its apparent weight is one-half its true weight. What is the car's speed at the top?
…
A=v^2/r
F=ma
…
I tried saying the weight was .5 and solving for velocity, but I still have a missing # for the Force variable.

The weight doesn't matter … it cancels out. :wink:

Show us what you tried, and then we'll see where the problem is. :smile:
 

Thread 'Errors and significant figures'

I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
View full post »
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
View full post »

Similar threads

Speed at the top of an elliptical roller coaster loop
Replies
4
Views
3K
Minimum safe height for a roller coaster
Replies
10
Views
5K
Minimum Speed for a Roller-Coaster Car to Complete a Loop without Seat Belts
Replies
12
Views
3K
Solving for Speed on a Roller Coaster's Top of Hill
Replies
6
Views
18K
How Is the Force on a Child in a Roller Coaster Calculated?
Replies
3
Views
7K
Why does the speed change at the bottom of the loop-the-loop?
Replies
5
Views
2K
Conservation of Energy for a roller coaster
Replies
15
Views
5K
A different type of roller coaster loop problem
Replies
16
Views
2K
Friction between roller coaster and track
Replies
15
Views
7K
Roller coaster problem involving velocity
Replies
2
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top