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To the pleasure of the air show crowd, a pilot makes a series of loop-the-loops. At the bottom of one of the circular loops, the normal force on the pilot is ____. List all that apply ... .
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Centripetal Force Requirement:
Circular motion requires an inward force. To travel along the curved path of a circle, there must be a force directed centripetally. Any object or thing could supply the force as long as it is directed toward the center of the circular path.
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At the bottom of the loop-the-loop, the pilot is traveling along a circular path. The center of the circular path is above the pilot (as pictured). There must be a net force directed towards this center in order for the pilot to continue the circular motion. Think about how the normal force and the gravity force compare to each other in order to meet this centripetal force requirement. See Minds On Time section.
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You will need to find two answers that describe the normal force acting upon the pilot. One answer will describe the direction and the other answer will describe the magnitude of the normal force. The normal force results from the contact between the pilot and the seat. The seat is below the pilot and push upward on the pilot. This upward normal force must be sufficiently large to meet the centripetal force requirement. The net force must be upward (refer to Dig That Diagram section). The only other force acting upon the pilot is gravity. Gravity acts downward and away from the center of the circle. In order to have a net upward (toward the center) net force, the normal force must be bigger than the force of gravity.
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