Emily+Bullock

Flying High **The image above describes Circular Motion, Momentum, and Gravity! ** **How do the sings at an amusement park work? Is it gravity, circular motion, momentum, or a combination of all three? ** **Circular Motion ** ====What is circular motion? Circular motion is rotation in a circular path. In order for the swings to move in a circular path, centripetal force has to be present. Centripetal force is a center seeking force, the force is always directed toward the center of the circle, without this force the swing would continue to move in a straight line of motion. It is a special force that is the sum of all the forces acting on the ride like the weight of the rider, gravity, and the tension in the chain. All of these things keeps the rider in the circular path.====



**Gravity ** ==== The increase in normal force can be attributed to acceleration and centripetal motion, which can cause the rider to experience something other than gravity. Hence you feel lighter than normal, when in fact, there has been no real change in your weight. The motor/ engine that powers the swings allows the center of gravity to fall which allows for a greater velocity, which accounts for the "weightless" feeling. ====

**Momentum **

Momentum relates to the quantity of motion that an object possesses. In fact, momentum depends upon mass and velocity, or in other words, how many are moving and how fast they are moving. A typical swing ride has 64 seats, including a few "tandem" or two person seats. Since momentum does have an impact on the movement and productiveness of the swings, typically the ride with have a few empty seats to balance out the forces.

**Works Cited:** https://sites.google.com/a/parishepiscopal.org/physics-honors/amusement-park/paper/swings http://www.exercisephysiologists.com/BiomechanicalCONCEPTS/index.html http://www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Chemistry-Vol-3-Physics-Vol-1/Centripetal-Force-Real-life-applications.html#b http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/pendulum.html http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/carousel.html