2004 HS Photo Contest Pictures
2004 High School Photo Contest Winners
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Special Award
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Photographer's Prize
There are numerous physics concepts that can be analyzed during a single roller coaster ride. The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is what enables the roller coaster to go around the loop. Friction wheels control the side movement of the coaster. The people on the coaster that are on the loop in the picture are acted on by gravity and a normal force. The sum of these forces is the centripetal force that's needed to maintain the motion around the loop, plus the force that accelerates the coaster in the direction parallel to the track. So these riders are ensured a safe ride and do not have to worry about falling out of the roller coaster.
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