Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: The old loop-de-loop

On 11/16/2003 01:11 PM, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:

Does the m*g contribute to the constraint force
when the object is above the horizontal diameter?

Definitely. Where-and-only-where the track is concave
downwards, mg makes a negative contribution to the
amount of force required to constrain the object to
the track. Concave upwards ==> positive contribution.

If you choose the initial energy just right, you
can be weightless for a while at the top of the
loop, i.e. no force whatsoever required to hold
you to the track. (Been there, done that.)