Ferris Wheel Centripetal Force question: I completely understand the forces of the person/seat at the top and the bottom, but how do I set up the equation to find "the force exerted on the child when the child is halfway between the top and bottom"? How do I draw a free body diagram for this? Thank you!!

Question

irishboy123 · Answer

at the halfway point:

1) gravity points downwards.   as it always does. 

2) centripetal points towards the centre.  in horizontal direction.  

3) the child's inertia points away from the centre.   in horizontal direction.

anonymous · Answer

@irishboy so is Fnet  = centripetal force only?

irishboy123 · Answer

i reckon you're right.