Loop Physiology Exercise Using a Spreadsheet

The activity on the following page is good for a quick introduction to loop design. It is appropriate for students who lacks the necessary math skills. It could also be used as a quick overview to loop design.

The first page is to be used as a reference. The second page is where the calculations are done on a spreadsheet.

This diagram is to be used in conjunction with the spreadsheet below and the questions on the following page.




Below is the spreadsheet and its formulae for the "Investigating the Loop Using a Spreadsheet" handout. The text on the left hand side is in the "B" column. The "B" column is right justified.

Questions:
1 A 5500 kg coaster train is propelled by a 120,000 kg weight that is dropped 20.0 m to the ground. The first loop has a radius of 25 m.
a) How many g's are felt by the rider as he enters the first loop?
b) How fast is the rider traveling as he travels over the top of the first loop?
c) How many g's are felt by the rider as he travels over the top of the first loop?
d) Make the radius at the bottom of the irregular loop 25 m. What must the radius at the top of the second loop be if its height is 42 meters?

2 A 5500 kg coaster train is propelled by a 91,000 kg weight that is dropped 25.0 m to the ground.
a) What must the radius of the first loop be so that a rider feels 2 g's as she enters the loop?
b) What must the radius of the second loop be so that a rider feels 2 g's as she enters the loop?
c) How high and what radius must the irregular loop be so that a rider feels the same g's at the top and bottom?

3 Design a roller coaster where the rider feels 2.9 to 3.1 g's at every acceleration except at the top of the first loop. Enter your numbers at the appropriate locations on the diagram below.






4 In terms of g's felt by a rider, what are the benefits of using an irregular loop versus a circular loop?