Physics homework

[D_o_S]

Hi all,

I need some help with my physics HW... we're going to a toboggan track and we're supposed to investigate something there... basically anything.

I do not know what to investigate. I have considered maybe "how much does the brake heat up depending on the angle of the brake lever", but I need some other ideas.

Thanks.

[Jowy Atreides]

Hi all,

I need some help with my physics HW... we're going to a toboggan track and we're supposed to investigate something there... basically anything.

I do not know what to investigate. I have considered maybe "how much does the brake heat up depending on the angle of the brake lever", but I need some other ideas.

Thanks.

how about the outward force against the track and how it stops the toboggan from raising over the edge.

I dunno, I was more of a quantum guy when it came to physics lol

[hixie]

I don't know how relevant this is to the Toboggan track, but back in the days of my A-Level physics, one of the projects i did was 'How far a car would travel if it went off track into the sand'. Very simple at first look, but will involve a lot of other theories, good chance to show off what you know.

Basically what you test is not important, your predicted outcome on the hypothesis is not important either. It's how you write your conclusion.
A trick i used to love is on purpose, make an incorrect prediction, then in your conclusion you will find it very easy to explain why you were wrong.

[D_o_S]

I don't quite think we can launch stuff off the toboggan track.

Outward force sounds OK, but I dunno what I would measure?

Also, I thought about rolling a marble, football, etc. down the track, measuring the time, and equating it somehow to something?

[SP1]

Work out what the diameter of the bends are, what speed the tobogan is going and you can then calculate what the amount of acceleration or G forces on the tobogan is.