1. Catapults, Concussions and Cars (and Coasters!) “I feel the need for speed!” - Maverick, Top Gun physics class

2. Take a guess… Rank from greatest acceleration to smallest acceleration a)aircraft launched from carrier b)Car drag racing at Raceway Park c)your skull/brain during concussion d)Kingda-Ka accelerating at beginning of ride e)Parachutist in freefall, before chute deploys Now guess actual numbers……

3. What really happens on a carrier?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPdBiHf- XYk&feature=related (USN documentary, give data, start part 1 at 8:00, end part 2 at 4:20) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPdBiHf- XYk&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ-Iv9Js-1I (French) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ-Iv9Js-1I

4. Physics for fun and profit!! Remember your guess? Let’s watch …..can we get good data to confirm it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSzOd__feI w&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSzOd__feI w&NR=1 (bus, for fun) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eoYJEGHLp ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eoYJEGHLp o (jet dragsters, some data?)

5. Physics hurts my brain! There’s more than one type of concussion.. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1 55415/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1 55415/ – Typical acceleration rates If 1 g = acceleration due to gravity Then 1 g = ~10 m/s2 Concussion = 100’s of g’s – i.e. ~ 1000 m/s2

6. Kingda Ka-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-hhhh! – Tallest and fastest in the world??? – What launch speed in what time??? – Calculate the acceleration Designers can’t let the riders pass out or get concussions !

7. You calculate the acceleration! Calculate the acceleration of the cars using the distances and times from the videos…. Are you close to your guess? How does this compare to being launched off an aircraft carrier? To freefall? To concussion?

8. Can you design an aircraft carrier?

9. Consider the F-18 Aircraft Performance – Why is speed at takeoff important? – What speed does your airplane require for takeoff? Goal: design a reasonably sized carrier, equipped with reasonably powered catapults and arresting gear…

10. How much ‘real estate’ do you need? Use the limited, yet powerful, knowledge you have to determine the length of the runway required…. What are the design restrictions? What data do you know? What data do you need to know? What equations do you have? Refer to the notes in your handout

11. Great success!! Your calculated length of runway should be close to the actual length of 200 - 300 feet!

12. What about the steam catapult? How much power is enough? Do we have enough info or knowledge to determine that? Can you design a catapult that would give a pilot a concussion on takeoff or landing?

13. Suppose a small child rolls off a bed that is 0.37 m above the floor. If the floor is hardwood, the child's head is brought to rest in approximately 1.8 mm. If the floor is carpeted, this stopping distance is increased to about 1.0 cm. Calculate the magnitude and duration of the acceleration in both cases, to determine the risk of injury. Assume that the child remains horizontal during the fall to the floor. Note that a more complicated fall could result in a head velocity greater or less than the speed you calculate. a.Hardwood Floor b.Carpet Floor

14. More phun physics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh7fQz4xz W4&feature=related (bus race) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh7fQz4xz W4&feature=related http://thedailyreview.com/news/local-race- car-driver-who-appears-on-espn2-talks-about- racing-1.885237 (info on drag racing fuel, etc) http://thedailyreview.com/news/local-race- car-driver-who-appears-on-espn2-talks-about- racing-1.885237

15. Physical limitations associated with accelerations How much can the human body take? Homework……

16. Are you faster than a speeding bullet? Try this……. – You have to choose a reasonable distance through which you can accelerate the whole time! – Have someone time you for three trials at that distance – Calculate your acceleration using the distance and the average time Is your calculated acceleration reasonable? How do you match up to Usain Bolt?