Question

Improve this, To determine whether Universal Studio’s claim about the coaster’s height being 51 meters is accurate, we can apply the Law of Conservation of Energy. Specifically, we’ll examine the relationship between gravitational potential energy at the top of the ride and kinetic energy at the bottom, assuming that the ride is ideally frictionless (or that losses due to friction and air resistance are minimal).

Answer 1

To test Universal Studios’ 51 m height claim you can use conservation of mechanical energy. Neglecting friction and air resistance, the gravitational potential energy at the top, mgh, converts to kinetic energy at the bottom, ½mv², so the mass cancels and
h = v² / (2g) (with g ≈ 9.81 m/s²).
Thus, measure the coaster’s speed v at the bottom (radar, video tracking, or timing over a known distance) and compute h from this formula. If measured h is substantially below 51 m, either the claimed height is incorrect or non‑conservative losses (friction, air drag, rotational energy of wheels,– etc.) are significant. To include losses, write mgh = ½mv² + Eloss, or compute an efficiency η = (½mv²)/(mgh) to quantify how much energy was lost.