Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force

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Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops

published by the WGBH Educational Foundation

This short video was created to demystify the process of the center-seeking centripetal force and how it acts to keep objects moving along a curved path. The video uses footage of a looping roller coaster and a high school student swinging a cup of water around his head without spilling. It's a well-balanced, engaging explanation of what makes a roller coaster rider feel pinned to the seat -- it's not just the seat belt, it's centripetal force pushing the cars downward toward the center of the loop. Resource includes background information and discussion questions.

Teachers' Domain is a growing collection of videos, lessons, and activities assembled by researchers and experienced teachers to promote the use of digital resources in the classroom.

Please note that this resource requires Flash.

Editor's Note: Why we like it -- this video does a remarkably good job of explaining why you feel a sensation of being thrown outward from the center during circular motion, although there is no outward net force. It will help students differentiate centripetal force from the fictitious "centrifugal force". See Related Materials for a video from the International Space Station that demonstrates centripetal force in a weightless environment.

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Astronomy - Fundamentals = Gravity Classical Mechanics - Applications of Newton's Laws - Motion in Two Dimensions = Central Forces - Newton's First Law = Inertia in Motion Education Practices - Technology = Multimedia	- High School - Middle School - Informal Education	- Instructional Material = Activity - Audio/Visual = Movie/Animation

Appropriate Courses	Categories	Ratings
- Physical Science - Physics First - Conceptual Physics - Algebra-based Physics - AP Physics	- Activity - New teachers	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Intended Users:: Learner
Educator
General Public
Formats:: application/flash
text/html
Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2008 WGBH Educational Foundation
Keywords:: angular velocity, centripetal acceleration, circular motion, gravitational acceleration
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created November 19, 2012 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: November 19, 2012 by Caroline Hall

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

4. The Physical Setting

4B. The Earth

6-8: 4B/M3. Everything on or anywhere near the earth is pulled toward the earth's center by gravitational force.

4F. Motion

3-5: 4F/E1bc. The greater the force is, the greater the change in motion will be. The more massive an object is, the less effect a given force will have.
6-8: 4F/M3a. An unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed or direction of motion, or both.
6-8: 4F/M3b. If a force acts towards a single center, the object's path may curve into an orbit around the center.
9-12: 4F/H1. The change in motion (direction or speed) of an object is proportional to the applied force and inversely proportional to the mass.
9-12: 4F/H2. All motion is relative to whatever frame of reference is chosen, for there is no motionless frame from which to judge all motion.

4G. Forces of Nature

6-8: 4G/M2. The sun's gravitational pull holds the earth and other planets in their orbits, just as the planets' gravitational pull keeps their moons in orbit around them.

This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.

Topic: Kinematics: The Physics of Motion
Unit Title: The Case of Roller Coasters

This short video does a great job of demonstrating centripetal force and how it acts to keep objects moving along a curved path. What makes a rider on a roller coaster feel a sensation of being thrown outward from the center during a loop, although there is no outward net force? The video serves to help beginners understand the dynamics of circular motion.

Link to Unit:

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<a href="http://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=12475">WGBH Educational Foundation. Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 2008.</a>

AIP Format

Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops (WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 2008), WWW Document, (http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/).

AJP/PRST-PER

Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops (WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 2008), <http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/>.

APA Format

Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops. (2008). Retrieved June 19, 2013, from WGBH Educational Foundation: http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/

Chicago Format

WGBH Educational Foundation. Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 2008. http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/ (accessed 19 June 2013).

MLA Format

Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 2008. 19 June 2013 <http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Title = {Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops}, Publisher = {WGBH Educational Foundation}, Volume = {2013}, Number = {19 June 2013}, Year = {2008} }

Refer Export Format

%T Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops
%D 2008
%I WGBH Educational Foundation
%C Boston
%U http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/
%O application/flash

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source
%D 2008
%T Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops
%I WGBH Educational Foundation
%V 2013
%N 19 June 2013
%9 application/flash
%U http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.roller/

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Teachers' Domain: Centripetal Force - Roller Coaster Loops:

Same topic as Teachers' Domain: Teaching from Space - Centripetal Force

Five-minute video of an astronaut in the weightless environment of the International Space Station, demonstrating centripetal force without the complicating interaction of gravity.

relation by Caroline Hall

Is Supplemented By Physics Classroom: Centripetal Force

Detailed explanation of centripetal force and its relationship to Newton's Law of Inertia. Includes illustrations, animation, and self-paced study questions.

relation by Caroline Hall

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