Roller coaster at bottom of dip weight increases 50%?

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a roller coaster problem involving forces at the bottom of a dip in the track. The original poster presents a scenario where the weight of the roller coaster appears to increase by 50% at this point, with a radius of the dip given as 30m. The problem is situated within the context of uniform circular motion.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between weight and normal force, questioning how these forces interact at the bottom of the dip. There is discussion about whether to consider angular velocity or forces in their reasoning.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance regarding the forces acting on the roller coaster, noting that the normal force must balance the increased weight. There is an ongoing exploration of the forces involved, with multiple interpretations of how they relate to circular motion.

Contextual Notes

Participants are grappling with the implications of the weight increase and how it affects the normal force, as well as the lack of explicit numerical values for mass or speed, which complicates their calculations.

BC2210
Messages
17
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



A roller coasters weight increases 50% through the center of a dip in the track. The radius of the dip is 30m. What is the speed at the bottom?

Homework Equations



This is a uniform circular motion problem correct? But how do I calculate if I don't know the weight?

v = \omegar
Fnet = mv2/r

The Attempt at a Solution



So is weight twice that of the normal force? Or the normal force has to balance it out by increasing by 50% as well?

Or should I be thinking in terms of \omega instead of forces?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You are on the right track ;-)
At the bottom of the curve their weight due to gravity is 'mg'
You are simply looking for the centrifugal force that equals half this.

Then the total force downward is 1.5mg
 
So right now I have F = N - (1.5mg) ...

which is the only forces acting on the car...

but I thought the force has to point to the middle of the circle?
 
N - W = (mv2)/r

but in the book it says the normal force is greater than the weight, resulting in a force pointing towards the center...
 
The normal force acting on the car must equal the force of the car on the track.
At the bottom of the curve there is weight acting down and centrifugal acting outward - which = down at the bottom of the curve.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
6K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
8K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
7K
Replies
1
Views
1K