FORCES ON A ROLLER COASTER DAY 5

ESSENTIAL QUESTION WHAT FORCES CREATE THE THRILL OF A ROLLER COASTER RIDE?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SUDDENLY START OR STOP MOVING? INERTIA: TENDENCY OF AN OBJECT TO RESIST A CHANGE IN MOTION. AN OBJECT AT REST STAYS AT REST AN OBJECT IN MOTION STAYS IN MOTION IN THE SAME DIRECTION UNLESS/UNTIL ACTED UPON BY AN UNBALANCED FORCE

STAY IN THE LOOP! TAKE A MINUTE TO PREDICT: WILL THE WATER STAY INSIDE THE BUCKET? WHY OR WHY NOT? YES!! AS YOU SPIN THE BUCKET, THE WATER WANTS TO KEEP MOVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE (INERTIA) BUT YOUR ARM IS EXERTING CENTRIPETAL FORCE (FORCE TOWARD THE CENTER) – THIS KEEPS THE WATER PUSHING AGAINST THE BOTTOM OF THE BUCKET

ACCELERATION ACCELERATION: A CHANGE IN THE MOTION OF AN OBJECT. AN OBJECT WILL ACCELERATE IF IT: SPEEDS UP SLOWS DOWN (CALLED DECELERATION OR NEGATIVE ACCELERATION) CHANGES DIRECTION

TRUE OR FALSE? 1.WHEN YOU GO DOWN A HILL ON YOUR BIKE AND GAIN SPEED, YOU ACCELERATE. TRUE 2.WHEN YOU GO 10 MILES PER HOUR AROUND A CORNER, YOU ACCELERATE. TRUE 3.WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT, YOU ACCELERATE. TRUE

FORCES FORCE: A PUSH OR PULL IN ANY DIRECTION. MEASURED IN NEWTONS (N). IF FORCES ARE BALANCED, NO ACCELERATION OCCURS (NO CHANGE IN MOTION) IF FORCES ARE UNBALANCED, THE OBJECT WILL SPEED UP, SLOW DOWN OR CHANGE DIRECTION (THE OBJECT BELOW WILL ACCELERATE TO THE RIGHT)

ACCELERATION WITH CHANGING DIRECTION CENTRIPETAL FORCE – THE FORCE THAT MAKES AN OBJECT FOLLOW A CURVED PATH LIKE A CIRCLE THIS FORCE POINTS TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE (THINK OF THE WATER IN THE BUCKET, BUT INSTEAD OF THE ARM EXERTING THE FORCE TOWARD THE CENTER, ON THIS ROLLER COASTER LOOP IT IS THE TRACK)

G-FORCE TAKE A MINUTE TO THINK WITH YOUR PARTNER: WHAT IS G-FORCE? WHERE HAVE YOU HEARD IT USED BEFORE? G-FORCE: A FORCE ACTING ON A BODY AS A RESULT OF ACCELERATION OR GRAVITY RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE EXPERIENCING 1 G BECAUSE YOU ARE BEING PULLED TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE EARTH BY JUST GRAVITY. IF A 100 POUND PERSON IS EXPERIENCING 2 GS, THEN IT FEELS LIKE THEY HAVE A WEIGHT OF 200 POUNDS.

G-FORCE VIDEO WHILE THE VIDEO IS PLAYING, WRITE DOWN WHERE YOU THINK THE RIDERS ARE EXPERIENCING POSITIVE G-FORCE AND NEGATIVE G-FORCE. G-FORCE VIDEO

WEIGHTLESSNESS IF THE FORCE DUE TO GRAVITY PULLING DOWN AN OBJECT IS EQUAL TO THE FORCE ACTING UPWARDS ON AN OBJECT, THE FORCES CANCEL OUT AND THE OBJECT FEELS WEIGHTLESS. SINCE THE GRAVITATIONAL FORCE PULLING THE OBJECT DOWN IS EQUAL TO THE FORCE ACTING UPWARDS, THE OBJECT IS EXPERIENCING ZERO-G’S.

AIR TIME WHEN THE COASTER IS MOVING AT A HIGH SPEED AND COMES TO THE TOP OF A SMALL HILL, THE FORCE OF GRAVITY PULLING DOWNWARD ON YOUR BODY IS LESS THAN YOUR BODY’S UPWARD INERTIA. YOUR BODY’S INERTIA WANTS TO KEEP TRAVELING UP BUT THE TRAIN LEVELS OUT AT THE TOP. THIS CAUSES A NEGATIVE G-FORCE AND YOUR BODY RISES UP AND OUT OF THE SEAT, A SENSATION KNOWN AS “AIR TIME”.

WRAP UP PAIR SHARE WITH YOUR ELBOW PARTNER: “WHAT FORCES CREATE THE THRILL OF A ROLLER COASTER RIDE?”