Physics Lab

Bungee Jump Near Miss Thriller

This activity will not be assessed as a normal lab.

Introduction:

A commercial amusement park company asks you to design a Bungee Jump system that provides the jumper the extra thrill of just missing the ground at the end

of the fall. To test the idea and your understanding of the theory, you decide to build a miniature system consisting of a piece of Lycra and a metal weight (the jumper) tied to the end of the Lycra. The other end of the Lycra is attached to a horizontal post on a ring stand. You are to move the top support up and down so that when the weight is released it stops about 2 cm from the floor before bouncing back up.

Procedure:

The amusement park company wants some hard data and evidence before you conduct a trial run. Do not conduct a trial run until your calculations have been inspected.

• Specify the length of Lycra you are using (measured between the points of attachment when it is not stretched)

• Specify the mass of the weight you are using.

• Determine the spring constant for your piece of Lycra.

• Calculate the distance the jumper is expected to fall assuming the weight is released from a position below the horizontal post on the ring stand just before the Lycra starts to stretch.

• Calculate the distance the jumper is expected to fall assuming the weight is released right next to the point of attachment the to the horizontal post.

Once you are sure of your calculations, have them checked by a company representative (Peter or David) and perform a trial run for each of the two starting positions you calculated.

Questions:

• If you were to use a weight that was twice as heavy, by what factor would the distance the weight falls change? If you are not sure try it.

• If you were to use a piece of Lycra that was twice as long, by what factor would the spring constant and the distance that the weight falls change?. If you are not sure try it.