Q5.38 You may have seen in a circus a motorcyclist driving in vertical loops inside a ‘death- well’ (a hollow spherical chamber with holes, so the spectators can watch from outside). Explain clearly why the motorcyclist does not drop down when he is at the uppermost point, with no support from below. What is the minimum speed required at the uppermost position to perform a vertical loop if the radius of the chamber is 25 m?
The motorcyclist does not drop down when he is at the uppermost point because of their weight and the normal force is balanced by the centripetal force.
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At minimum velocity, the normal reaction is zero.
So the equation becomes :
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