Amusement Park Physics

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Amusement Park Physics
Hold on to your hats, guys and gals, this is one
fast trip!
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What makes a roller coaster so fun?
Some think it is the free fall
Others the speed and acceleration
Maybe its the fear you feel when the roller
coaster Sloooowly climbs that first hill!
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Roller Coasters
What keeps you in your seat on a loop?
Inertia
What force powers Roller coasters?
Gravity
Why do you experience crushing feelings?
Inertia
At the bottom of a hill as the train starts to
go up
Where?
Why do you experience free fall?
Inertia
At the top of a hill as the train starts to go
down
Where?
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Energy
Mechanical Energy
1. Potential Energy
2. Kinetic Energy
Thermal Energy
1. Friction
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Looping Coaster at Canobie
PE mgh
Why is this hill lower?
How can we calculate the energy lost to friction?
KE ½ mv2
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Spiral Twists
Why have these loops?
Acceleration change in velocity over
time Velocity speed and direction
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Water Ridesare they roller coasters?
Compare Both have hills Both use gravity Both
have energy transformations
Contrast Water powers the ridenot gravity
alone Water is also the friction to slow downnot
brakes No track PE to KE transformation not as
key as water speed
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The Boston Tea Party
The friction with the water and the blunt shape
of the car makes the wave so huge and beautiful!
Teachers pet
I love physics
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Circular RidesA huge variety
This type of ride makes many people Feel ill.
How?
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What do the forces look like on a swing ride?
And in a circular pattern with constantly
changing direction
Direction of the ride
Riders move out from the center
This is different from a ride with a track,
because there no track/seat to push back.
What is the reaction force then?
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But they all work the same way
What other force is at work here? Hint it pulls
you down
If you are going on the ride with Hagrid (a
giant), should you or he sit on the outside?
Hint Which way are you being pulled or pushed?
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Lets Look at the Forces

• Centripetal force

C
Direction of ride
The direction is constantly changing which means
The acceleration is constant
How does inertia figure into this?
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Is this one different?
Do you really need the restraints?
If someone were to say, upchuck, what direction
Would the substance go?
EwwGROSS!!!
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Circular Motion
(One complete cycle)
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Circular Motion
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Circular Motion
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Pirate ShipPendulum Rides
FREE FALL
What is the thrill of this ride? What produces
that thrill?
Inertia
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Free Body Diagram
Inertia keeps the body going up
When the ship is going back down
The force of friction goes against The direction
of motion
Direction of movement
Force of Weight
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How Could We Calculate the Amount of Energy
Lost Due to Friction?

• Where we release the ship

PE mgh
Where the highest point is after an amount of
time
PE mgh
If we find both PEs and subtract. . . h h. .
.we have it!
Now, what if we want to find the average PE lost
on each swing?
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Pendulum Physics
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• Figure 13.4 The Simple Pendulum

Force the rider feels is defined by Fr -
(m)(g)(sin )
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Pendulum Physics

• One Period (T)

l length of string g 9.8 m/s/s
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Pendulum Physics

• The frequency of oscillation is the inverse of
  the period
• frequency