Question

Consider two circus performers, who both have mass 60 kg.

During their act, performer 1 hangs from an elastic (bungee) cord and bounces up and down, with a period of 5.1 s. With each bounce, the performer moves up and down a total distance of 4.0 m.

Meanwhile, performer 2 stands 2.0 m from the center of a circling merry-go-round. The merry-go-round circles once every 5.1 s.

Consider the magnitude of the net force on each performer. This magnitude might fluctuate over time, but we will consider only the largest value it takes throughout a cycle. Is the maximum net force experienced by performer 1 greater than, equal to, or less than the maximum force exerted on performer 2? Show a free-body diagram if possible.

Answer 1