The Physics of Pendulum Rides
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Pendulum rides are a little like the swing sets you might remember from your childhood. Swings give you a feeling of flying in a controlled manner. You pump your legs to provide enough force to increase the height of the swing's arc, and enjoy the increased velocity of the downward swing. When you stop pumping, the swing gradually slows and then stops. What causes the feeling of "weightlessness" on pendulum rides? Riders often experience near-weightlessness as they approach the top of a pendulum ride. If the ride is the type that makes a complete 360-degree circle , they experience a feeling of complete weightlessness. Feelings of weightlessness are not due to a decrease in forces of gravitation; people do not feel forces of gravity. What you feel is the force of a seat (or other external object) pushing on your body with a force to counteract gravity's downward pull. A 180-pound person at rest in his office chair experiences the seat pushing upwards on his...