Tim+and+Noah

Six Flags Great Adventure Project toc

Nitro
__**Part A:**__ //1) Estimated Distances and Angles & 2) Measure Time://

//3) Diagrams:// @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW60JEEv3ZQ
 * a)**On they way up, On the way down, Bottom of the first loop (respectively)
 * b)** Mass on a string at various positions on the way up, on the way down, and at the bottom of the first hill (respectively)
 * c)** Labeled sketch of relevent portion of the roller coaster (top and side views respectively)
 * d)** Clear side view picture
 * e)** Short video

//4) Graphs//
 * a)** Creat d vs t, v vs t, and a vs t graph for the motion this segment of the ride (respectively)
 * b)** Creat a thrill vs acceleration graph for this segment of the ride

//5) Evaluate// The only mechanism implemented to secure the rider to the cart was a lap T-bar. You felt very insecure on the ride as there was nothing for you to hold onto, as well as no straps around your shoulders to keep your body from flailing. As you went up the first hill of the roller coaster, you felt the same weight. As you go down the first drop you feel almost weightless, as it feels like you are trying to be ripped out of your seat. And as you reach the bottom of the first hill, you feel heavier than normal and feel like you are being smooshed into your seat. As you start to go up the hill, you get the nervous and rather scary feeling of realizing what is about to become. As you go the way down, you get the "OH SH***"** feeling and start screaming your head off. Although it is a fun and exciting feeling don't worry. And at the bottom of the first hill you get that feeling that is more like being smooshed really hard so it's not as fun, but you get out of there in no time. One thrill factor was that on the first drop, you couldn't even see the tracks under the coaster because the coaster was so steep. Also, from where I was on the coaster (about the middle) you could not really see where the coaster was headed next so each turn and twist was a bit of a surprise. But perhaps the biggest thrill factor was simply the anticipation at the top of the first hill, and then peeking down the giant hill and seeing the massive drop that you are about to fall down, and then that sensation as you feel yourself transfer from the power of KE to the power of GPE.
 * a)** __Safety: What features were in place?__
 * b)** __Describe the weight sensations on the way up, on the way down, and at the bottom of the first hill: did you feel lighter, heavier, or normal?__
 * c)** __Describe the excitement level: on the way up, on the way down, and at the bottom of the first hill.__
 * d)** __Describe the thrill factors that may contribute to those feelings (besides the #g's)__

//1) Experimental Values//
 * __Part B:__**
 * a)** Speed at Bottom of Initial Hill
 * b)** Acceleration Down Initial Hill
 * c)** Power Needed To Get Up Initial Hill

//2) Theoretical Values//
 * a)** Speed at Bottom of Initial Hill
 * b)** Acceleration Down Initial Hill
 * c)** Power Needed To Get Up Initial Hill

//3) Evaluate Accuracy of the 3 Calculations above//
 * __ Power remained the same, so percent error is 0%. __**

//4) Evaluate Safety// The #g's were absolutely within safe limits. While the #g's limit on human beings is around 4 or 5 g's, the ride did not even reach 1 g. The number of g's and the excitement level were directly proportional. This is because as acceleration increases, the #g's increase as well, and according to our clearly accurate acceleration vs. thrill graph, thrill and acceleration are also directly proportional. Therefore, as #g's increase, excitement does as well.
 * a)** Calculate #g's on the way down the hill and at bottom of the hill
 * b)** __Were #g's within safe limits?__
 * c)** __Was there a correlation between #g's and the excitement level? Explain, providing evidence.__

The FBD of the car did not correlate to that of the mass because the forces acting on the car were all at different angles. For example, on the way down, there is a normal force perpendicular to the tracks, a weight force straight down, and a friction force behind (not that we accounted for it in calculations, but it was still there). However, the FBD of the mass on the string is not influenced by normal force in any way. The only two forces acting on the mass are weight straight down and Tension from the person holding the string. As we exclude friction (or air resistance), the mass on a string would remain perpendicular to the ground because there should be no other forces acting on it. Yes they did. When the #g's was one (on the way up), you felt normal. When the #g's was less than one (on the way down), you felt lighter than before. When the #g's was greater than one (bottom of the first hill), you felt heavier than normal. **c)** Discuss the graphs that you created and why they curve the way they do. The distance vs. time graph goes up at a constant slope, showing the constant speed as we went up. However, when we then fell, the graph changes to be a very steep drop. After that, we went back up, and the line does the same. The velocity vs. time graph is level at first because of the constant velocity going up the hill. The velocity then skyrockets as we fall down the very steep drop, and this is the same in our graph. Finally, we peak in velocity as we reach the bottom of the first hill and start to go back up. The acceleration graph at the beginning is zero due to constant speed. After the drop, it rises to a higher level at a constant rate, and then after the bottom of the first hi ll, it goes back down at a constant rate. The acceleration vs. thrill graph is quite easy to read. As acceleration went up, our thrill went up because we thought we felt like we were about to fall out of our seats, which would not have been so fun. Alas, we didn't and there was much fun had by all.
 * //5) Thinking about Physics//**
 * a)** __Explain the behavior of the mass on the string. Did the FBD of the car correlate to that of the mass? Why or why not?__
 * b)** __Did the #g's correlate to the sensation of weight?__

Green Lantern
__**Part A:**__ //1) Estimate Distances and Angles & 2) Measure Time// //3) Diagrams// media type="file" key="VID_20120523_112156.3gp" width="300" height="300"
 * a)** FBD of car or rider at top position
 * b)** FBD of mass on a string at top position
 * c)** Labeled sketch of roller coaster (top and side views respectively)
 * d)** Take a clear side view picture
 * e)** Take a short video of the relevant segment

//4) Graphs//
 * a)** Create v vs t, Fc vs t, and a vs t graph for the motion this segment of the ride (respectively)
 * b)** Create a thrill vs acceleration graph for this segment of this ride

//5) Evaluate// The safety features on this ride included over the shoulder restraints and a seat belt. We felt very secure and safe on this ride, although our feel were slightly dangling which was fun. Throughout the ride, the excitement level was extremely high. At the top, you had that feeling of almost falling out, only being saved by the restraints on your shoulders. At the side, you just felt pure speed as you flew down the coaster. And at the bottom, although you felt a little smooshed, you were going even faster and it was just so much fun. For this ride some of the thrill factors were that at the top of the loop you were very high in the air and it was rather scary. Also for this one, we were at the front of the ride so that made the experience all the more exhilirating when we made every twist and turn and loop. At the top you felt completely weightless, almost as if you were going to fall out (well you would have had it not been for the restraints). At the bottom there was a lot of pressure on your body and you felt really heavy. On the side it felt essentially normal, although normally you don't have people screaming all around you and the wind blowing in your face. So as normal as a roller coaster can be.
 * a)** __Describe the safety features on this coaster__
 * b)** __Describe the excitement level that you felt at the top, side, and bottom of this loop__
 * c)** __Describe the thrill factors that may contribute to those feelings (besides the #g's)__
 * d)** __Describe the weight sensations at the top, side, and bottom of this loop: did you feel lighter, heavier, or normal?__

__**Part B:**__ //1) Experimental Values//
 * a)** Speed At Top Of Loop
 * b)** Centripetal Acceleration
 * c)** Apparent weight at top of loop

//2) Theoretical Values//
 * a)** Speed At Top Of Loop
 * b)** Centripetal Acceleration
 * c)** Apparent weight at top of loop
 * d)**# of g's
 * e)**Minimum Speed At Top of Loop

//3) Evaluate Safety// The ride is safe to ride because it only has 1.08g's. This is true, however on this ride I did not feel that way. I feel as though I got the most thrill from being at the top of the loop (with less g's) as opposed to the bottom of the loop.
 * a)** __#g's were within safe limits?__
 * b)** __Was there correlation between #g's and excitement level? Explain, providing evidence.__

//4) Thinking of Physics// The FBDs do correlate in that both forces acting on the mass and the car acted downward. The mass had weight and tension acting downward, while the cart had weight and normal force acting downward. Yes. The more the g's the heavier one will feel, while if the # of g's is less than one, you would feel lighter. For the velocity vs time graph, the velocity decreases on its way to the top of loop and assume it reaches 0 at the top (other wise the roller coaster would fall) and then it will pick up speed from the top of the loop back to the bottom. For the Fc vs time graph,when the coaster is descending down the first hill (before entering the loop), there is no centripetal force. Therefore, the graph is initially a horizontal line at zero. The following can be explained with the equation Fc = (mv 2 )/r. At the bottom of the loop, the velocity is at its highest. Therefore, the centripetal force is also at its highest. At the top of the loop, the velocity is smallest. Therefore, the centripetal force is smallest. The graph is shaped like a parabola because of the v 2 relationship in the Fc = (mv 2 )/r equation. For the acceleration vs time graph, the acceleration begins negative at a steady rate as the coaster slows down towards the top of the loop. The acceleration then becomes positive and remains at a steady rate as it comes down the loop. Thus it is a change from a steady negative to a steady positive acceleration.
 * a)** __Explain the behavior of the mass on the string. Did the FBD of the car correlate to that of the mass? Why or why not?__
 * b)** __Did the #g's correlate to the sensation of weight?__
 * c)** __Discuss the graphs that you created and why they curve the way they do.__

Ferris Wheel
__**Part A:**__ //1) Estimate Distances and Angles & 2) Measure Time//

//3) Diagrams://
 * a)** FBD of car or rider (at max and min height, if vertical) [respectively]
 * b)** FBD of mass on a string at various positions (at max and min height, if vertical) [respectively]
 * c)** Labeled sketch of ride (top and side views respecitvely)
 * d)** Take a clear side view picture
 * e)** Take a short video of the relevant segment

//4) Graphs//
 * a)** Create Fc vs t and a vs t graph for the motion this segment of the ride (respectively)
 * b)** Create a thrill vs. acceleration graph for this segment of the ride

//5) Evaluate// There are no safety features on this ride. Then again, it is only a ferris wheel, so the only safety feature you really need is extremely strong bolts or hinges connecting the cart to the rest of the wheel. At the bottom of the ride, or min height, there was no excitementl at all because the ride was either just starting or just ending. At the top of the ride, or max height, there was some excitement as you were extremely high up in the air. Luckily for us, neither of us are afraid of heights so it was not terryfying as it could have been for someone with that problem. The only contributing thrill factors was the height, as there were no extra of less g's on this ride. We felt the same normal weight on the side and top, but as we fell back down to the bottom, there was a feeling that you weight was slightly lighter than normal.
 * a)** __Describe the safety features of this ride__
 * b)** __Describe the excitement level that you felt at the min and max height (if vertical), or at max speed (if horizontal).__
 * c)** __Describe the thrill factors that may contribute to those feelings (besides the #g's).__
 * d)** __Describe the weight sensations at the top, side, and bottom of the loop: did you feel lighter, heavier, or the normal?__

__**Part B:**__ //1) Calculate Experimental Values//
 * a)** Average Speed
 * b)** Centripetal Acceleration
 * c)** Apparent Weight

//2) Calculate Theoretical Values// //3) Evaluate Accuracy//
 * a)** Average Speed
 * b)** Centripetal Acceleration
 * c)** Apparent Weight

//4) Evaluate Safety//
 * a)** #g's
 * b)** Was there correlation between #g's and experiment level?

//5) Thinking about the Physics//
 * a)** Explain the behavior of the mass on the string. Did the FBD of the car correlate to that of the mass? Why or why not?
 * b)** Discuss the graphs that you created and why they curve the way that they do.