85,104 views
23 votes
23 votes
Would a rollercoaster have the greatest kinetic energy at the top of the highest hill or at the bottom on the highest hill

User Rian Mostert
by
3.0k points

1 Answer

17 votes
17 votes

Answer:

The rollercoaster has the lowest kinetic energy at the top of the hill.

The rollercaoster has the highest kinetic energy at the bottom of the hill.

Step-by-step explanation:

The kinetic energy of any solid body in motion is usually computed using this formula:

K.E =
(1)/(2)mv^2

From this, we can see that it varies based on two major parameters - The mass of the moving object and the velocity of the moving object.

We can assume that the mass of the rollercoaster is constant since no one gets off and it does not shrink in its size during the ride.

This means that the variations in the K.E are mainly coming from its velocity.

At the top of the hill, the rollercoaster is moving at its slowest pace. hence, it has the lowest kinetic energy at the top of the hill.

However, at the bottom of the hill, the rollercoaster is moving its fastest, hence it has the highest kinetic energy at the bottom of the hill.

User Jacob Turner
by
3.6k points