Rotational motion and tangential speed?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving rotational motion and tangential speed, specifically concerning a rollercoaster's motion at the top of a circular hill. The problem presents parameters such as mass and diameter but raises questions about the necessary calculations to determine the maximum speed without leaving the track.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Problem interpretation, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between forces acting on the rollercoaster, including gravitational and centrifugal forces. Some question how to approach the problem without specific time measurements, while others suggest using free-body diagrams to analyze the forces involved.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants offering various insights into the forces at play and questioning the assumptions made in the problem setup. There is no explicit consensus, but several lines of reasoning are being explored regarding the conditions under which the rollercoaster remains on the track.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the problem is situated within an 11th-grade physics context, indicating potential limitations in the participants' familiarity with certain concepts related to centripetal force and gravitational effects at different angles.

yramos9
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Homework Statement


A 919 kg rollercoaster is about to go up a hill that acts as the top of a circle 16.21m in diameter. What is the fastest that car can move (in m/s) without leaving a track?
known:
mass: 919 kg
diameter: 16.21
radius: 8.105

Homework Equations


Vt=r[tex]\omega[/tex]
[tex]\omega[/tex]=[tex]\theta[/tex]/time

The Attempt at a Solution


i have no idea how to work this out without knowing the time or speed or somekind of time measurement. Is there another way to solve this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
centrifugal force

force balance

free body diagram
 
huh??
 
Draw a free-body diagram of the cart with centrifugal force pulling it up and gravity pulling it down. The sum of the forces on the cart should be zero in the radial direction (since that's the direction for which you don't want motion). Centrifugal force should be a function of tangential velocity, which is the velocity in question.

What level of physics is this? Gravity would realistically be a function of the angle about the center of the circle and only be exactly g when the cart is exactly on the tip of the half-circle. But you could probably neglect this if it's an introductory physics course.
 
this is 11th grage physics pre-ap.. i don't think I've learned what youre trying to teach me.
 
When gravity can provide the centripetal acceleration required to keep the roller coaster on the track, the coaster doesn't fly off. Otherwise, it does. When does gravity exactly equal the required centripetal force? (Hint: F=ma)
 

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