Can anyone please explain to me how Newton's laws of motion apply to a roller coaster. I understand that like at the top of Sheikra there is potential energy. But like how do the other laws apply.

Question

austinl · Answer

I. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

II. The relationship between an object's mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors (as indicated by their symbols being displayed in slant bold font); in this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector.

III. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

anonymous · Answer

So many people:)

austinl · Answer

For the first law. The train on the roller coaster would love to keep moving along the track indefinitely. However, there are several external forces acting upon it. There is the friction of the wheels upon the rails, there is rather minimal air resistance (varies by speed of the coaster), and there is the force of gravity upon it.

anonymous · Answer

You know the rollercoaster Sheikra right? Well on the drop on that rollercoaster wouldn't that be using the first law?

austinl · Answer

For the second law, we have
F = ma
Where a is acceleration, which in this case will be the acceleration due to gravity.9.81m/sec^2.
This affects the coaster because this is how they work. They are gravity operated.
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They take you up to the top of the first hill, and then gravity and friction mean that you can only go as high as you have been before. This is Potential Energy, that is then converted into Kinetic Energy on the way down the hill.