Principles of conservation of energy and momentum

Apply principles of conservation of energy and momentum to analyze
the behavior of interacting objects
You have been asked by your supervisors at A&L Engineering to design a roller coaster for a new theme park.
Because this design is in the initial stages, you have been asked to create a track for the ride. Your coaster
should have at least two peaks and two valleys, and launch from an initial height of 75 meters. Each peak and
valley should represent a vertical change of at least 20 meters. In your design, you should plan for a mass
between 400 and 600 kilograms.
Once you have designed the track, you have been asked to calculate the kinetic energy, potential energy,
momentum, and work done by the cart at various points throughout the track. Unless otherwise stated, you can
ignore the effects of friction. Following your calculations, you have been asked to describe the energy transfers
detailed by these equations.
Directions
To complete this roller coaster design report, complete the following:
Create a diagram of a roller coaster track containing at least two peaks and two valleys. As you complete your
report, you may wish to design a more complicated coaster. However, it should still have two peaks and two
valleys that meet the requirements below and that you are comfortable using in calculations and descriptions of
energy and momentum. Your diagram should include the following information:
An initial height of 75 meters
At least two peaks and two valleys representing drops of over 20 meters
A set mass for your roller coaster cart between 400 and 600 kilograms
Calculate the kinetic energy, potential energy, and momentum of the cart at the initial drop for both peaks, and
for both valleys. If your coaster has more than two peaks and two valleys, select which peaks and valleys you
wish to use in your calculations and clearly mark them on your diagram. In your calculations, be sure to
explicitly state the equations you use and what values you will be substituting to calculate the final value.
Describe the energy transfers that occur as the cart moves along the track. This should be a narrative
description of the energy transfers that occur at the initial launching point, peaks, and valleys. In your
descriptions, address the following:
At each of the identified points, how was kinetic energy transferred to potential energy, and vice versa?
What happens to the total energy of the cart as it moves along the track? Why?
How is the principle of conservation of energy applied in this situation?
In addition to your description of the motion of the cart on the track, you have been asked to model the motion
of the cart as it comes to a stop at the end of the coaster. For these calculations, assume that the cart will
inelastically collide with a cart of equal mass at rest on a flat surface.
Calculate the momentum and kinetic energy of the cart before and after an inelastic collision. In your
calculations, be sure to explicitly state the equations you use and what values you will be substituting to
calculate the final value.
Describe the energy transfers that occur as a cart inelastically collides with an object of equal mass at rest.
This should be a narrative description of the energy transfers that occur as the cart inelastically collides with a
cart of equal mass. In your descriptions, address the following:
What was the kinetic energy of each cart before and after the collision?
What happens to the total energy of the system, now including both carts, as a result of the inelastic collision?
Describe how the principle of conservation of energy is applied in this situation.
Following the inelastic collision of the carts, the two carts fuse into an object with double the mass of the
original cart. There is then a frictional section of the track to slow the cart to a stop over 20 meters. Describe
the amount of work due to friction and frictional force exerted to stop both carts over 20 meters.
Calculate the work due to friction and frictional force. In your calculations, be sure to explicitly state the
equations you use and what values you will be substituting to calculate the final value.
Describe the energy transfers that occur as the cart is brought to a stop. This should be a narrative description
of the energy transfers—written to describe these concepts to a nontechnical audience—that occur as the cart
is brought to a stop. In your descriptions, address the following:
What is the kinetic energy of the cart system before and after it has been brought to a stop?
What happens to the total energy of the system as a result of this change in motion?
Describe how the principle of conservation of energy is applied in this situation.
What to Submit
To complete this project, you must submit the following:
Roller Coaster Design Rep