#CIRCULAR MOTION BODY DIAGRAMS SERIES#

For a rider moving through a circular loop with a constant speed, the acceleration can be described as being centripetal or towards the center of the circle. This change in speed as the rider moves through the loop is the second aspect of the acceleration that a rider experiences. So the rider experiences the greatest speeds at the bottom of the loop - both upon entering and leaving the loop - and the lowest speeds at the top of the loop. And conversely, a decrease in height (and in turn a decrease in potential energy) results in an increase in kinetic energy and speed. As energy principles would suggest, an increase in height (and in turn an increase in potential energy) results in a decrease in kinetic energy and speed. As the rider begins to ascend (climb upward) the loop, she begins to slow down. In addition to changing directions, the rider also changes speed.

And as learned in Lesson 1, a change in direction is one characteristic of an accelerating object.

There is a continuous change in the direction of the rider as she moves through the clothoid loop. A rightward moving rider gradually becomes an upward moving rider, then a leftward moving rider, then a downward moving rider, before finally becoming a rightward-moving rider once again. Note that the radius at the bottom of the loop is significantly larger than the radius at the top of the loop.Īs a roller coaster rider travels through a clothoid loop, she experiences an acceleration due to both a change in speed and a change in direction. The diagram at the right shows a clothoid loop with two circles of different radius inscribed into the top and the bottom of the loop. For this reason, our analysis will focus on the two circles that can be matched to the curvature of these two sections of the clothoid. Furthermore, we will limit our analysis to two points on the clothoid loop - the top of the loop and the bottom of the loop. The radius of these circular sections is decreasing as one approaches the top of the loop.

#CIRCULAR MOTION BODY DIAGRAMS SERIES#

To simplify our analysis of the physics of clothoid loops, we will approximate a clothoid loop as being a series of overlapping or adjoining circular sections. A mere inspection of a clothoid reveals that the amount of curvature at the bottom of the loop is less than the amount of curv ature at the top of the loop. Unlike a circular loop in which the radius is a constant value, the radius at the bottom of a clothoid loop is much larger than the radius at the top of the clothoid loop. A clothoid is a section of a spiral in which the radius is constantly changing. Roller coaster loops assume a tear-dropped shape that is geometrically referred to as a clothoid. The most obvious section on a roller coaster where centripetal acceleration occurs is within the so-called clothoid loops. These sections include the clothoid loops (that we will approximate as a circle), the sharp 180-degree banked turns, and the small dips and hills found along otherwise straight sections of the track. And in this part of Lesson 2, we will focus on the centripetal acceleration experienced by riders within the circular-shaped sections of a roller coaster track. Roller coasters are about acceleration that's what makes them thrilling. Roller coasters thrill us because of their ability to accelerate us downward one moment and upwards the next leftwards one moment and rightwards the next. The thrill of roller coasters is not due to their speed, but rather due to their accelerations and to the feelings of weightlessness and weightiness that they produce. It is more than likely that most of us sustain higher speeds on our ride along the interstate highway on the way to the amusement park than we do once we enter the park. The thought prompts one to consider what is it about a roller coaster ride that provides such widespread excitement among so many of us and such dreadful fear in the rest? Is our excitement about coasters due to their high speeds? Absolutely not! In fact, it would be foolish to spend so much time and money to ride a selection of roller coasters if it were for reasons of speed. Each day, we flock by the millions to the nearest park, paying a sizable hunk of money to wait in long lines for a short 60-second ride on our favorite roller coaster.

Circular motion body diagrams