Loops
Roller coaster builders and
designers use the loop design to utilize the
forces and velocity. When a roller coaster car is
in a loop the velocity will be greater, which over
centuries roller coaster designers have learned
attract people to the amusement park rides. The
net force of any object moving in centripetal
motion is always pointing to the center of the
circular path. Because the net force points in the
center of the circular path, so does the
acceleration, this is centripetal acceleration.
Centripetal acceleration is acceleration of
uniform circular motion, coming from the Greek
root meaning "center seeking." (Knight, 2013,
p.102). In roller coaster loops, riders do not
feel they are traveling upside down because the
force that is exerted is at least equal to the
weight of the cart and riders. According to Virginia
Instructors of Physics, the cart of a roller
coaster will always stay on the track in a loop as
long as the centripetal acceleration applied by
the track is equal to or greater than the
acceleration of gravity. With substitution of
Force equals mass times acceleration, physicists
and roller coaster designers can find that the
centripetal acceleration has to equal the velocity
squared divided by the radius of the loop. In
order to apply enough centripetal acceleration
roller coaster carts either have a large velocity
or a loop with a small radius. Therefore typically
roller coasters with loops have high velocities.
Below is a diagram
of the forces in a circular motion, such as
a roller coaster cart in a loop track.
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