Andrew+and+Sammy

=**Six Flags Great Adventure - Andrew and Sammy**=

ACTIVITY A: The First Drop of a Roller Coaster

 * Name of roller coaster ride: __Nitro__**


 * Data:**

Estimate distances and angles: Measure time:
 * height of starting point of the roller coaster ride || 0 m ||
 * height of top of the first hill || 71 m ||
 * height of bottom of the first hill || 5 m ||
 * radius of curve at the bottom of hill || 38 m ||
 * angle of the initial incline up || 68 degrees ||
 * angle of the initial incline down || 68 degrees ||

Average to travel up first hill: 48.2
 * to travel up first hill || 48.2 || 49.1 || 48.6 || 48.3 || 46.8 ||
 * to travel down the first hill || 5.74 || 5.26 || 5.31 || 5.83 || 6.1 ||

Average to travel down the first hill: 5.65


 * Diagrams:**

FBD of car on the way up



FBD of car on the way down



FBD at the bottom of the first hill



FBD of mass on a string at various positions on the way up, on the way down, and at the bottom of the first hill



Labeled sketch of relevant portion of the roller coaster




 * Graphs:**

D vs T

V vs T



A vs T



Thrill vs Acceleration


 * Evaluate:**

1. What safety features were in place? This ride did not have that many safety features, which we think is because of its apparent age. The safety features consisted of a bar, which went down over the rider’s waist that the rider could hold on to.

2. 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? We felt a bit heavier as we went up the first hill of the ride. This was due to the particular angle at which we were riding. When we rode down the hill we felt extremely light, almost as if we had no weight at all. The bottom felt much heavier when compared to the drop, but was relatively normal.

3. Describe the excitement level on the way up, on the way down, and at the bottom of the first hill. Sammy and I were very excited on the way up the ride. This was most likely due to our adrenaline and fear. As we went down the first drop, some of our excitement subsided but a large majority of it persisted. There was not much time to be excited at the bottom of the hill because we were suddenly going up another one.

4. Describe the thrill factors that may contribute to those feelings (besides the “g”s). Certain people are afraid of heights and thus would naturally be more or less excited on a roller coaster. Furthermore, a phenomenon that we like to call “peer excitement” occurs. Basically, because other people are excited you become excited as well. All of these factors, plus the “g”s, combine together to create a thrilling experience.


 * Calculate Experimental Values:**

Speed at bottom of the first hill:



Acceleration down the first hill:



Power needed to get up the hill:


 * Calculate Theoretical Values:**

Speed at bottom of the first hill:



Acceleration down the first hill:



Power needed to get up the hill:


 * Evaluate Accuracy of the 3 calculations above.**

% Difference for Speed at Bottom of the First Hill:



% Difference for Acceleration down the first hill:



% Difference for Power needed to get up the hill:




 * Evaluate Safety:**

a) Calculate #G's on the way down the hill and at the bottom of the hill:



b) Were the #G's within safe limits? Yes. The safe limit is four G's for humans. This roller coaster did not even exceed 1 G's.

c) Was there correlation between #G's and excitement level? Explain, providing evidence. It appears that the more G's there are, the greater the excitement level. This can be seen if you look at the graphs. On the way down the hill and at the bottom of the hill, the G force hits a maximum of .9294. Furthermore, at this same point in time the excitement level (thrill level) reaches a maximum. Thus, we can assume that the two values are correlated.


 * 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? Yes, the FBD of the car correlated to that of the mass. This is because the two values are acted on by almost all of the same forces. The mass tends to follow the direction of the cart, specifically because of the fact that the cart moves up an incline and then down one. When it moves up, the mass swings towards the rider, meaning that it is in the same direction as the cart. The opposite also proves to be true.

b) Did the #G's correlate to the sensation of weight? Yes. The more G's there were, the heavier we subsequently felt. This is similar to what astronauts feel when they go to space. Thus, we felt heavier while we traveled up the hill and lighter when we shot down the hill.

c) Discuss the graphs that you created and why they curve the way that they do

D vs T: The distance vs time graph was a very interesting one. The graph appears to be linear for some time... this represents the points in time when the cart is being dragged up the incline. We then see a sharp curve going downwards at first and then sharply upwards. This represents the drop. The graph models this change in direction.

V vs T: The velocity vs time graph is built off of the distance vs time graph. The velocity remains constant until the drop, which is demonstrated by the horizontal line. Then, after the drop, the velocity shoots upwards as it begins to sharply increase. This is seen by the linear looking graph after the point of the first drop.

A vs T: There is no acceleration until the first drop, which is demonstrated by the horizontal line on the x-axis (indicated an acceleration of 0 m/s^2). Then, after the first drop, the acceleration increases which is shown by the linear looking graph.

Thrill vs Acceleration: The more acceleration there was, the more thrilling the ride. Thrill is an odd thing to graph because different people feel thrill differently. For instance, some of the people that rode with us felt calmest whilst going up the incline, while this point represented the maximum thrill for others. For us, the more acceleration there was the more thrilling the ride felt.

ACTIVITY B: A Vertical Loop of a Roller Coaster

 * Name of roller coaster ride: __Green Lantern__**


 * Estimate the Distances:**
 * Height of top of loop (above the ground) (m):
 * 36.88
 * Height of first hill (m):
 * 46.90
 * Length of car (m):
 * 10.00
 * Radius of loop (m):
 * 18.45
 * Mesure Time:
 * Trial || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || **Average** ||
 * Single Cart to Travel Past Top Position of Loop (s) || 14.96 || 14.76 || 15.08 || 15.03 || 14.89 || **14.94** ||


 * Diagrams**
 * FBD of car at top position:


 * FBD of mass on string at top position:
 * Labeled sketch of roller coaster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60zrnOyBo3U
 * Clear side-view picture:
 * Short video of relevant segment:


 * Graphs**
 * Centripetal Force vs Time
 * Velocity vs Time
 * Acceleration vs Time
 * Thrill vs acceleration
 * Evaluate**
 * Describe the safety features on this coaster.
 * The green lantern is a standing ride. To compensate for this, each rider is standing on a seat and a heavy bar is placed on top of their shoulders. Also, there is a height requirement to ride the green lantern.
 * Describe the excitement level that you felt at the top, side, and bottom of loop.
 * The top and side of the loop were both equally excilleration. One you were upside down, the other on your side. However, the most exhilaration part was at the bottom of the loop because this is where the riders experienced the most g's.
 * Describe the thrill factors that may contribute to those feelings.
 * The difference in the green lantern is that the riders are standing. To some this may feel awkward and uncomfortable, but that is what makes this ride so thrilling.
 * Describe the weight sensations at the top, side, and bottom of the loop: did you feel lighter, heavier, or normal?
 * The weight sensations were very similar to what was shown in the classroom throughout the year. I felt lighter at the top, heavier at the bottom, and normal at the side.


 * Calculate Experimental Values**
 * Speed at top of loop
 * Centripetal Acceleration
 * Apparent weight at top of loop

ZERO
 * Calculate Theoretical Values**
 * Minimum Speed at top of loop
 * Speed at top of loop
 * Centripetal Acceleration
 * Apparent weight at top of loop


 * # g's


 * Evaluate Saftey**
 * # g's were within safe limits?
 * Yes, at 1.09 g's the #g's was within safe limits.
 * Was there correlation between # g's and excitement level? Explain.
 * Yes, of course. The greater the #g's, the greater the excitement level.


 * Thinking about Physics**
 * Explain the behavior of the mass on the string. Did the FBD of the car correlation to that of the mass? Why or why not?
 * No, they did not. Thinking about it from a general sense, throughtout the ride, the axis the riders are on is changing. However, the string is always straight down.
 * Did the # g's correlation to the sensation of the weight?
 * Yes, of course. The #g's did correlate to the sensation of the weight.
 * Discuss the graphs that you created and why the curve the way that they do.
 * The v-t graph is a upside down parabola. Approaching the loop, the coaster is moving at its fastest and steadily decreases until it gets to the top of the loop where it then increases speed. The a-t graph shows that the coaster has a consistent negative acceleration until it reaches the top of the loop where it then has a consistent positive acceleration. The F-t graph shows that as the coaster approaches the top of the loop it reaches its max centripetal force.