You are on a rollercoaster with a total mass of 1,200 kg. At the very top of the

Question

You are on a rollercoaster with a total mass of 1,200 kg. At the very top of the first hill, you reach a height of 75m above the ground. The rollercoaster comes to a momentary pause, and then begins its exhilarating acceleration down the track. By the time it reaches the bottom of the first hill, you are now 13m above the ground. What is the speed of the rollercoaster when it reaches the bottom of the first hill, expressed in mi/hr? (Assume no friction between the cars and the track.)

So I'm thinking I need to use the equation    

But with this method I never take into account the weight of this method, so I'm still confused.

Explanation / Answer

conserving total energy

m*g*h = m*v^2/2

so v = sqrt(2*g*h)

v = 34.87

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