GED Science: Spinning and Spinning
Thursday, December 31st, 2009You know what I love? The fair! It’s got all those crazy rides that spin you all around, and up and down, and I feel like I’m gonna get sick, but I just keep riding them!! They’ve always got these deals going too where you can get a bracelet or something and ride all day long! I used to be able to ride on those spinning ones (the one at my fair was called the GRAVITRON!!) all day and night, but nowadays I can only ride them a couple of times, and then I gotta take a breather and go on a much more tame ride, like a roller coaster.
Check out this practice question I found about the GRAVITRON!
A man stands on a ride at an amusement park that spins around. As the ride spins faster, the man is pushed back against the outer wall and finds it very difficult to pull himself away from it.
Which statement best explains this event?
1. There is glue on the wall holding him on.
2. The ride is creating a magnetic force that pulls the man toward the metal in the walls.
3. The ride is creating a new center of gravity inside the walls.
4. The spinning of the ride creates a centrifugal force that pushes the man outward from the center.
5. The ride creates an optical illusion the makes the man think he is falling backward into the wall. (more…)
