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What factor most affects the final speed of a roller coaster?

The only factor that affects the final speed of the roller coaster is the total height lost while the height of the second hill does not affect.



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In roller coasters, the two forms of energy that are most important are gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy. Gravitational potential energy is the energy that an object has because of its height and is equal to the object's mass multiplied by its height multiplied by the gravitational constant (PE = mgh).

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Although coasters can definitely go faster, they're limited by the acceleration those higher speeds would require. Roller coasters reach their peak speeds in a matter of seconds.

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The force of gravity pulling a roller coaster down hill causes the roller coaster to go faster and faster, it is accelerating. The force of gravity causes a roller coaster to go slower and slower when it climbs a hill, the roller coaster is decelerating or going slower.

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Two of the most significant are friction and air resistance. As you ride a roller coaster, its wheels rub along the rails, creating heat as a result of friction. This friction slows the roller coaster gradually, as does the air that you fly through as you ride the ride.

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The first hill of a roller coaster is always the highest point of the roller coaster because friction and drag immediately begin robbing the car of energy.

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What factors do not affect the final speed of a roller coaster? The only factor that affects the final speed of the roller coaster is the total height lost while the height of the second hill does not affect.

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The whole train is always going the same speed at any given time, starting approximately from rest when the middle of the cart crests the first hill. But by the time the back car crests the hill, the train has sped up significantly.

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A roller coaster ride comes to an end. Magnets on the train induce eddy currents in the braking fins, giving a smooth rise in braking force as the remaining kinetic energy is absorbed by the brakes and converted to thermal energy.

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The acceleration along the track is always equal for every car, but for each car that acceleration aligns with the hills/gravity in different ways. As the front car crests a hill, the coaster is decelerating; the front car is being pulled backward by the other cars.

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The force of gravity will cause it to speed up as it moves down the hill. Because there is no friction between Points A and C, the energy of the rollercoaster remains constant over that portion of the motion.

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A roller coaster is a machine that uses gravity and inertia to send a train of cars along a winding track. The combination of gravity and inertia, along with g-forces and centripetal acceleration give the body certain sensations as the coaster moves up, down, and around the track.

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Because of friction between the coaster cars and the track, along with air resistance as the cars move forward at high speed, the amount of mechanical energy available decreases throughout the ride.

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