High School

A roller coaster has a mass of 300 kg and drops from rest at the top of a hill that is 101 m tall. How fast is it going when it reaches the bottom?

Assume acceleration due to gravity is [tex]g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2[/tex].

Answer :

To determine the velocity of the roller coaster as it moves down, we use the kinematic equation which is expressed as 2gy = vf^2 - v0^2 where g is the gravitational acceleration, y is the elevation of the roller coaster, vf and vo are the final and initial velocity. We calculate as follows:


2gy = vf^2 - v0^2


Since it starts at rest, v0 is zero.



2gy = vf^2

vf = √2gy

vf = √2(9.8)(101)

vf = 44.5 m/s

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