Final answer:
To decrease the coefficient of friction for a ride, you can increase the radius or the speed of the ride. Increasing mass or gravity would increase, not decrease, the coefficient of friction needed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the factors influencing the coefficient of friction in a ride scenario. To decrease the coefficient of friction needed, one can make adjustments to the ride, such as increasing the radius of the ride or increasing the speed of the ride. However, increasing the rider's mass or the acceleration due to gravity (as if taking the ride to another planet with higher gravity) would not decrease the coefficient of friction needed.
The coefficient of friction is related to the necessary centripetal force to keep riders from sliding in circular motion scenarios. In a ride like a spinning cylinder, this force is provided by the friction between the walls and the riders. Centripetal force is directly proportional to the mass and the square of the speed of the rotating body and inversely proportional to the radius of the rotation.