Question

What is the speed of the roller coaster at the top of the loop if the radius of curvature there is 11.0 m and the downward acceleration of the car is 1.50 g?

Answer 1

When an object moves in a circle, the acceleration points toward the center of the circle. This acceleration is called centripetal acceleration. We can use a simple equation to find centripetal acceleration. a = v^2 / r We can use this same equation to find the speed of the car. v^2 = a * r v = sqrt { a * r } v = sqrt{ (1.50)(9.80 m/s^2)(11.0 m) } v = 12.7 m/s The speed of the roller coaster is 12.7 m/s