Question

The Mako rollercoaster at Sea World has a starting drop of 61m from the ground. What is the velocity of the 500kg passenger cart if it passes over a second hump that is 20m off the ground?

Answer 1

Setting the initial potential energy equal to the final potential energy and solving for v, we get:

mgh1 = (1/2)mv^2 + mgh2
v = sqrt(2gh1 - 2gh2)

Substituting the values we get:

v = sqrt(29.861 - 29.820) ≈ 29.3 m/s

Therefore, the velocity of the passenger cart at the top of the second hump is approximately 29.3 m/s.