Vertical Circles: Maximum and Minimum Speeds

Surface? No Surface?

Does your vertical circle involve a mass
travelling on top of a surface like a road or a
roller coaster track?
Then you may be asked to determine the
maximum speed at the top of the hill before the
mass “catches air” (i.e. leaves the surface of the
road or track.)
Example: How fast can you travel across the
crest of a hill on a road of Fradius 200 m before
N
feeling weightless?
Does your vertical circle involve a mass
travelling in a vertical circle connected to the
circle centre by a rope or string?
Then you may be asked to determine the
maximum speed before the string breaks. The
string will break at the bottom of the circle
where tension has its maximum value.
Example: How fast can you spin a 2 kg mass in a
vertical circle of radius 0.5 m before the string
reaches its maximum tension of 5 000 N?
FT

mg mg

FC = mg - FN FC = FT - mg

If you feel “weightless”, then FN = 0 and Maximum speed occurs when FT = 5000 N
you may not go faster without leaving the
road. FT = Fc + mg
5 000 = mv2/R + mg
Maximum speed occurs when FN = 0. 5 000 = 8v2 + 19.6
v = 25 m/s
FC = mg

mv2/R = mg
You may also be asked to determine the
minimum speed your mass can sustain before
v = √gR
the circle collapses.
v = 44.3 m/s OR 159.4 km/h
Example: What minimum speed can you spin a
2 kg mass in a vertical circle of radius 0.5 m
Does your vertical circle involve a mass before the circle collapses?
travelling on the bottom of a surface like a
roller coaster track?
mg
Then you may be asked to determine the FT
minimum speed at the top of the hill before the
roller coaster falls off the track.
FN FC = FT + mg
mg minimum
Example: What speed can a roller
coaster have at the top of a loop or radius 200m? Minimum speed occurs when FT = 0 N

FC = F T Homework:
mv2/R = mg p 123 #1,4; p 124 #1,2;
FC = mg + FN v = √gR p129 #5; p141 #24;
p142 #32,33; p144 #52
v = 2.2 m/s
Minimum speed occurs when FN = 0.

FC = mg