Roller Coasters Accelerating

Question

Are the following roller coasters accelerating? Yes or No? And explain why please.

• A roller coaster speeding up?
• A roller coaster speeding down?
• A roller coaster moving in a straight lin at a constant speed?
• A roller coaster going around a curve at a constant speed?

Answer 1

A roller coaster speeding up?  Yes, it is accelerating, because its speed is changing.

 

A roller coaster speeding down?  Yes, it is accelerating, because its speed is changing.

 

A roller coaster moving in a straight line at a constant speed?  No, it is not accelerating, since neither the speed or direction are changing.

 

A roller coaster going around a curve at a constant speed?  Yes, it is accelerating, because its direction is changing, even though the speed is constant.