When it comes to the physics of getting up the slopes, there are
two main ideas to keep in mind. One is how physics makes the
chairlift work, and the other is how physics keeps riders safe
on the chairlift.
How does a chairlift
work?
The process of getting up the hill on a chairlift is a lot simpler
than it may seem.
As far as the physics, there are many concepts involved, but I will
focus on a
couple main ones. These include tension, and linear and radial
speed.
Tension There is much tension involved in a
chairlift. In fact, tension is one of the main
aspects of a chairlift. The tension mainly comes from the cable of
the lift. There
has to be enough tension from post to post to keep the cable tight,
because a tight
cable is what keeps the chairs in the air. Not enough tension means
slack in the
line, which defeats the whole purpose of a chairlift.
Linear/ Radial Speed
As far as the speed of a chairlift goes,
there are two types: radial and linear. The
linear speed is what is involved in carrying the chairs up
and down the hill.
Without this, we wouldn't be able to get from point A to
point B. There is also
radial speed. This comes to play when the chair gets to the
top (or bottom) of the
lift and turns around a circular pulley-like system. The
cable wraps around this
pulley, and the chair turns around in a circular motion
right before riders load,
or right after riders unload.
How do riders stay safe on a chairlift?
Although
chairlifts are very convenient for
snowboarders, they are also
somewhat dangerous. So how do all riders (or
at least most riders) keep from
falling off of the chairlift and injuring
themselves? Both the caution and the
safety of a chairlift comes from the forces
involved, particularly the
gravitational force and the normal force. Gravitational Force Why is riding a
chairlift such a safety
precaution? The answer is quite
obvious-
chairlifts tend to be fairly
high above the ground. That
being said, if you were to
fall off of a chairlift, the
result would likely not be the
best one. The reason for
this is because gravity is not
in your favor. If something were
to happen where
you knew you were coming off of
your chair, by the laws of
gravity, there only
one way to fall, down.
Normal Force Although
chairlifts have the
potential to be
dangerous, they are
designed to
keep riders as safe
as possibly. For
example, the chairs
on a chairlift stay
upright so riders
don't fall off. The
main reason why the
chairs are able to
do this is because
of the normal force
acting on them.
