Question

A roller coaster has a mass of 300kg it drops from rest at the top of a hills that's 101m tall how fast is it going when it reaches the bottom?

Answer 1

To determine the velocity of the roller coaster as it moves down, we use the kinematic equation which is expressed as 2gy = vf^2 - v0^2 where g is the gravitational acceleration, y is the elevation of the roller coaster, vf and vo are the final and initial velocity. We calculate as follows:

2gy = vf^2 - v0^2

Since it starts at rest, v0 is zero.


2gy = vf^2
vf = √2gy
vf = √2(9.8)(101)
vf = 44.5 m/s ----> option B