Make-Up Amusement Park Physics Labs
This packet contains the labs that need to be completed and returned to your teacher the one week after they are assigned. You will need to complete the first three questions along with the Flagpole lab and the “virtual” labs. You must show all of your work. You will need a calculator (that has trig functions) stopwatch (some iPODs have a stopwatch function) and a horizontal accelerometer (sextant). You may work in groups of 2.
NAMES ______Period ______
______
Don’t You Just Want to Scream
1. While their students were playing one day at Magic Mountain, Mr. Vining (who stands 1.8 m tall) and Mr. Hill were deviously planning how to quiz their students and make them think that physics is “really hard”. They made their way to the roller coaster “Scream” in order to collect some data, since none of their students had taken any measurements for the ride. While standing at a certain distance from the ride, Mr. Vining sighted to the top of the first hill, and Mr. Hill read an angle of 20.0°. They then moved 30.0 meters closer, and sighted an angle of 26° to the top of the first hill. What is the height of the first hill of “Scream”?
Height = ______
2. a) Now that they had the height of the first hill, Mr. Vining and Mr. Hill wanted to gather some information to find the speed and acceleration of the train. Since both of them hate the ride and did not want to actually go on the ride (must be a product of age), they instead bribed two students to go measure the length of the train in the station. While the students were gone, Mr. Hill and Mr. Vining gathered several time measurements of the train passing a point near the bottom of the first hill. The average time came out to be 0.46 seconds. When the students returned, they reported that the length of the train was 12 meters. What was the speed of the train at the bottom of the first hill?
Speed = ______
b) If the train took about 5.4 seconds to go from the top of the first hill to the bottom
of the first hill, what was the acceleration down the first hill?
Acceleration = ______
c) How many g’s would a rider on the train experience on the way down the first hill?
(1 g = 9.8 m/s/s)
g”s = ______
3. a) Always wanting to be thorough in their calculations, Mr.Vining and Mr. Hill decided to check their velocity calculations using conservation of energy principles. Mr. Hill checked the Magic Mountain website and found that the actual height of the first hill is 45 meters. Assuming that the kinetic energy at the top of the first hill is zero (and thus all of the train’s energy at the top of the first hill is potential energy), how fast will the train be moving at the bottom of the first hill? (also assume that the train descends all 45 meters from top to bottom)
Speed = ______
b) Of course, Mr. Vining and Mr. Hill knew that it was not realistic to assume that the train had no kinetic energy at the top of the first hill, so they decided to factor in the speed of the train as it was moving up the lift hill. Mr. Hill measured the angle of incline on the first hill to be 23°. Already knowing that the height of the first hill was 45 meters, Mr. Vining and Mr. Hill knew that they could calculate the distance along the lift hill. Can you? Calculate the length of the incline on the lift hill.
Length = ______
c) The time it took the train to ascend to the top of the first hill was 35 seconds. What
was the average speed of the train along the lift hill?
Average speed = ______
d) Given your previous calculations, what would be the total speed at the bottom of the first hill of “Scream”?
Speed = ______
e) How does this value compare with the published value of 29 m/s? What is the percent difference between the calculated value and the published value?
Percent difference = ______
Measurement of the DMHS Flagpole Lab
The purpose of this exercise is to become familiar with the double triangulation method of estimating height.
You must show all of your measurements and calculations.
Objective: Determine the height of a flagpolein the parking lot using the double triangulation method.
Apparatus: horizontal accelerometer (sextant), distance measuring device
Procedure: Use double triangulation method to find the height to the top of a flagpole in front of Desert Mountain s office (you must use this flagpole to receive credit). Start at least 50 meters away from base of the flagpole and measure the angle 1, then move some distance D (the length of your string) closer to the flagpole and measure the angle 2. Show all your work below for determining the height to the top the flagpole.
h1 = D sinsin
sin()
h1 H
12
h0 h0
D
Data: Double angle calculation.
1______ D______m. 2______ h0 (your height) ______m.
Calculate h1 below
h1 =______m.
Calculate total height H of the light pole
H=______m.
Data: Single angle calculation.
1______ D______m. h0 (your height) ______m.
Calculate H of the light pole below
H=______m.
.percent difference %=______
How do your heights compare? Account for any differences
Perform all these activities using -
FERRIS WHEEL
Circular Motion Activities
QUESTIONS AND PROCEDURE:
1) Use the stopwatch to measure the period (time for one complete revolution) of motion for the Ferris wheel. What is its period?
Period = ______
2) Calculate its tangential velocity:
Velocity = ______
3) What is the rotational velocity (in rotations per second)?
Rotational velocity = ______
4) If the Ferris wheel continued for two minutes, how many complete rotations would it make?
Rotations = ______
5) Calculate its centripetal acceleration:
ac = ______
6) If the mass of a rider is 80.0 kg, then what is the centripetal force exerted by the Ferris wheel?
Fc = ______
THE ANTIGRAVITY RIDE
1) Use the stopwatch to measure the period of motion for the ride wheel. What is its period?
Period = ______
2) Calculate its tangential velocity.
Velocity = ______
3) Calculate its centripetal acceleration.
ac = ______
4) If the mass of a rider is 80.0 kg, then what is the centripetal force exerted by the ride?
Fc = ______
5) What is the rotational velocity?
Rotational velocity = ______
6) How many rotations would a rider make in one minute?
Rotations = ______
7) What is the frictional force between the rider and the wall? Explain.
Frictional force = ______
THE ROLLER COASTER LOOP
1) What is the length of the roller coaster train (not just 1 car)?
Length= ______
2) What is the velocity of the train at the highest point on the loop? You need to play the movie of the real roller coaster to get the time. Show your work and equation.
Velocity = ______
3) Using the tangential velocity, find the centripetal acceleration at the highest point on the loop? (R = 7.00 m at the loop’s top.)
ac = ______
4) If train’s car with rider has a mass of 455 kg, then what centripetal force is exerted on the car?
Fc = ______
5) Explain, conceptually, how conservation of energy allows for roller coasters to work starting at the top of the first hill all the way to the bottom of the first loop.
THE SCRAMBLER RIDE
The “Scrambler’s” motion is a complex circular motion. When rider is the farthest away from the center, point B, the rider is moving with a speed equal to the tangential velocities about the minor axis AND the major axis. The rider’s radius is equal to the distance between him/her and the center. When the rider is closest to the center, point C, the rider experiences a velocity that is the difference between the major and minor axis. The rider’s radius is equal to the radius associated with the greatest velocity.
1) What is the period of motion when the MINOR axis is the radius?
Period = ______
2) What is the tangential velocity when the MINOR axis is the radius?
Velocity = ______
3) What is the period of motion when the MAJOR axis is the radius?
Period = ______
4) What is the tangential velocity when the MAJOR axis is the radius?
Velocity = ______
5) What is the net centripetal acceleration in a point B? (Make sure to consider the centripetal acceleration by the minor axis AND the major axis, then find the net; and think vectors!)
ac = ______
6) What is the net centripetal acceleration at point C? (Make sure to consider the centripetal acceleration by the minor axis AND the major axis, then find the net; and think vectors!)
ac = ______
7) What is the net centripetal acceleration in g’s at point D? (Make sure to consider the centripetal acceleration by the minor axis AND the major axis, then find the net; and think vectors!)
ac = ______
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