A roller coaster has a vertical loop with radius 17.9 m. With what minimum speed should the roller coaster car be moving at the top of the loop so that the passengers do not lose contact with the seats?

Question

A roller coaster has a vertical loop with radius 17.9 m. With what minimum speed should the roller coaster car be moving at the top of the loop so that the passengers do not lose contact with the seats?
(how do i go about in solving this)

drwls · Accepted Answer

Set the centripetal acceleration V^2/R at the top equal to g. That will assure that the car does not leave the track.