In: Physics
You are riding on a Ferris wheel while standing on a scale. The scale normally reads 1500 lbs. (Did I mention you're a robot made of incredibly heavy metal?) While you are riding, you notice your weight on the scale changing. At the TOP of the Ferris wheel, you weigh only 1430 lbs. The Ferris wheel has a diameter of 230 m. How much time does it take the Ferris wheel to make one full turn? (Give answer in seconds).
m is the mass of the person. v is the velocity of rotation of the ferris wheel, r is the radius
At the top of the ferris wheel the person experiences two force, centripetal force acting upwards and the weight of the person acting downwards(figure)
Hence, effective force acting on the person is
Mass of the person under normal circumstance is
At the top of the ferris wheel, mass is
So, the force experienced at the top of the wheel is
Radius of the wheel is 230/2 m=115 m
using all these values in equation (1) we have
So, angular velocity of the wheel is
So, time taken to complete one turn is i.e., the time period