The \"Screaming Swing\" is a carnival ride that is - not surprisongly - a giant

Question

The "Screaming Swing" is a carnival ride that is - not surprisongly - a giant swing. It's actually two swings moving in opposite directions. At the bottom of its arc, a rider in one swing is moving at 30 m/s with respect to the ground in a 56-m-diameter circle. The rider in the other swing is moving in a similar circle at the same speed, but in the exact opposite direction.

A) What is the acceleration, in m/s^2, that riders experience?

B) What is the acceleration, in units of g, that riders experience?

C) At the bottom of the ride, as they pass each other, how fast do the riders move with respect to each other?

Explanation / Answer

1)Centripetal acceleration = v^2/r
r =56/2 =28
a = 30^2/28
a = 32.14 m/s^2
2)1g = 9.8m/s^2
#g's = a/9.8 = 28/9.8
#g's = 2.85g
3)With respect to the ground, both swings are moving at 30m/s, but in opposite directions. Consider this: if one of the swings were stationary, the velocity of the moving swing would be 30m/s relative to the stationary swing. So, if both swings are moving at 30m/s relative to each other, that essentially doubles the velocity if one of them were stationary. They are moving at 60m/s relative to each other.

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