A giant catapult is part of a fairground ride. winch elastic cord 21 elastic/ cord 21...

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A "giant catapult" is part of a fairground ride. winch elastic cord 21° elastic/ cord 21° (capsule winch launch platform electromagnet Two people are strapped into a capsule. The capsule and the occupants have a combined mass of 236 kg. The capsule is held stationary by an electromagnet while the tension in the elastic cords is increased using the winches. The mass of the elastic cords and the effects of air resistance can be ignored. (a) When the tension in each cord reaches 4.5x103 N the electromagnet is switched off and the capsule and occupants are propelled vertically upwards. (1) Calculate the vertical component of the force exerted by each cord just before the capsule is released. (ii) Calculate the initial acceleration of the capsule. (iii) Explain why the acceleration of the capsule decreases as it rises. (b) Throughout the ride the occupants remain upright in the capsule. A short time after release the occupants feel no force between themselves and the seats. Explain why this happens. 4 A "giant catapult" is part of a fairground ride. winch elastic cord 21° elastic/ cord 21° (capsule winch launch platform electromagnet Two people are strapped into a capsule. The capsule and the occupants have a combined mass of 236 kg. The capsule is held stationary by an electromagnet while the tension in the elastic cords is increased using the winches. The mass of the elastic cords and the effects of air resistance can be ignored. (a) When the tension in each cord reaches 4.5x103 N the electromagnet is switched off and the capsule and occupants are propelled vertically upwards. (1) Calculate the vertical component of the force exerted by each cord just before the capsule is released. (ii) Calculate the initial acceleration of the capsule. (iii) Explain why the acceleration of the capsule decreases as it rises. (b) Throughout the ride the occupants remain upright in the capsule. A short time after release the occupants feel no force between themselves and the seats. Explain why this happens. 4