10. Conservation of Energy
Intro to Conservation of Energy
5PRACTICE PROBLEM
A toy designer creates a roller coaster-type track using a smooth ramp and a frictionless vertical loop of diameter d. The car starting at rest slides down the incline and should go around the vertical loop by always being in contact with the loop. The designer asks a physicist to find the minimum height the car must start at and still successfully negotiate the loop. What should be the physicist's answer? Write your answer as a function of d.
A toy designer creates a roller coaster-type track using a smooth ramp and a frictionless vertical loop of diameter d. The car starting at rest slides down the incline and should go around the vertical loop by always being in contact with the loop. The designer asks a physicist to find the minimum height the car must start at and still successfully negotiate the loop. What should be the physicist's answer? Write your answer as a function of d.