College Physics (4th Edition)

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073512141
ISBN 13: 978-0-07351-214-3

Chapter 5 - Conceptual Questions - Page 183: 9

Answer

Because of inertia, an object moving in a straight line will continue moving in a straight line unless acted on by a force. While people are moving in a straight line, the fact that the roller coaster turns to the right means that people are moving to the left relative to the roller coaster. Although people may feel like they are moving to the left, they are not really moving to the left relative to the ground, and there is no force pushing people to the left.

Work Step by Step

Because of inertia, an object moving in a straight line will continue moving in a straight line unless acted on by a force. When the roller coaster makes a sharp right turn, the passengers in the roller coaster continue moving in a straight line until the left side of the roller coaster provides the force to push the passengers toward the right. While people are moving in a straight line, the fact that the roller coaster turns to the right means that people are moving to the left relative to the roller coaster. Although people may feel like they are moving to the left, they are not really moving to the left relative to the ground, and there is no force pushing people to the left.
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