Question

a) A roller coaster contains a vertical loop of radius R = 20.0 m. The roller coaster weighs 3000 N when full of riders. What is the minimum speed the roller coaster must have at the top of the loop for the coaster and riders not to fall off?

b) Now assume that the roller coaster is going twice as fast as the minimum speed found in part a. By what factor does the weight of each rider increase or decrease at the top of the loop (compared to their weight on solid ground)? Make sure to indicate whether the rider’s weight increases or decreases.

Answer 1