Cars go loopy
Question: I have just seen a TV advert in which a car travels along a
straight track which then veers upwards to loop the loop before returning to
ground level. The car follows the road without falling off, even when it is
upside down at the top of the loop. Special effects aside, can a car loop the
loop, and, if so, how fast would it have to travel?
Answer: Surprisingly, the minimum speed a car must be travelling at to loop
the loop depends only on the force of gravity and radius of the loop. The…
