the-BA : Round and round...

Waltzers and carousels are classic country fairground rides. They can be fast, loud and disorientating. There are countless variations of these rides, but the common elements are circular motion around the track, spinning cars, and quite often, a humped track that makes the cars move up and down.

Have you ever wondered how a waltzer moves? And why the cars don't fly off?

You might like to …

• investigate waltzer and carousel designs
• build a model waltzer or carousel
• carry out tests to work out how the motion of your model affects the forces acting on somebody (or something) sitting in one of the cars
• carry out tests to see how fast a carousel can spin before the force becomes too great, and the ride breaks
• find out how people are ‘strapped in’ to waltzers (and other fairground rides); design and/or model a cart for a fairground ride that is comfortable and exhilarating, but still safe.

Further links:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question245.htm

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