In: Physics
You just got a new job at Six Flags to test roller coasters. The first roller coaster you test has a vertical circular loop with a diameter of 25 m. The empty car you are using has a mass of 135 kg. You can measure the speed of the empty car at all points along the loop and you find it has a speed of 27 m/s at the bottom and 9.5 m/s at the top of the loop.
(a) What is the magnitude of the normal force of the track on the car when the car is at the bottom of the loop?
(b) What is the magnitude of the normal force of the track on the car when the car is at the top of the loop?
(c) How much work is done by friction when the car travels from the bottom to the top of the loop?
(d) At one point during the experiment, the person looks at the scale and it reads 0 N. Explain how this is possible and what the person should do about it.