1d. Conservation of energy is demonstrated in this roller coaster example. The Conservation of Energy is a principle which states that energy cannot be created
or destroyed, but can be altered from one form to another
Friction plays a significant role in the efficiency of the rollercoaster cars. Explain how, even
with friction, the law of conservation of energy still holds true. (2 points)

According to the principle of the Conservation of Energy, energy can neither be destroyed or created, energy can be transformed from form to another

The forms of energy the car has at the different stages is given by virtue of either the position of the car, which is the car's potential energy, or the speed of the car, which gives the potential energy of the car

However, due to the frictional forces acting on the car, there is a frictional force which requires work to be done for the car to move between points in the roller coaster

Therefore, based on the Conservation of Energy principle, we have;

The total energy of the roller coaster, M.E. = m·g·

Where;

m = The mass of the roller coaster = 4,500 kg

g = The acceleration due to gravity ≈ 9.81 m/s²

= The maximum height = 30 m

Therefore, M.E. = 4,500 × 9.81 × 30 = 1,324,350 J

The energy at point B, = 4,500×15×9.81 + (1/2) ×4,500×17.15² = 1,323,950.625

The energy at point B, = 1,323,950.625 J

At point C, the total energy, = (1/2)·m·v²

Where;

v = The velocity of the roller coaster at point c = 24.25 m/s

Therefore;

= (1/2) × 4,500 × 24.25² = 1,323,140.625

At point C, the total energy, = 1,323,140.625 J

Therefore, given that the energy at point A, M.E. is larger than the energy at point B, , is larger than the energy at point C, , the loss in energy can be explained by the presence of the friction which require energy for movement of the roller coaster between the points

Explanation: