You are on a ferris wheel moving in a vertical circle. when you are at the bottom of the circle, how does the magnitude of the normal force n exerted by your seat compare to your weight mg? n = m g n > m g , but cannot be exactly calculated without more information. n < m g , but cannot be exactly calculated without more information. n = m g / 2 n = 2 m g ssm

N > mg

Explanation:

When we are at the bottom of the circle, there are two forces acting on the passenger:

- The normal force, N, upward

- The weight of the passenger (+ the cabin), mg, downward

So, the equation of the forces is

where

is the centripetal force, which points towards the centre of the wheel, so upward (as the normal force)

m is the mass

v is the speed

r is the radius of the wheel

Re-arranging the equation,

We can notice that the term is always positive, therefore we have

So, the normal force is larger than the weight.

can be answered using momentum.

momentum = p

p1= mass1 * velocity1

p1 = p2

therefore

p1 = 6kg * 4m/s

p1 = 24kgm/s

p2=m2 * v2

24 kgm/s = 7kg * v2

v2 = 24 kgm/s / 7kg

v2= 3.42 m/s