Conceptual Physics

By: Kimberly Ramirez and Emely Ortiz

Whats the ideal gear combination for

going up a steep hill?
The ideal gear combination for going up a steep hill would be
a larger gear ratio. Youd want a larger gear ratio because the
larger the ratio, the more rotations and the more distance you
cover. When traveling up a steep hill, you want to exert the
least amount of force possible. This gear combination allows
you to cover more distance in less time, allowing you to exert
the least amount of force possible.

Which side of the road should I ride my

bike on? Why?
You should ride your bike on the right side of the road,
opposite of oncoming traffic. Traffic on the left side of the road
has a much greater force than that of the traffic on the right
side of the road due to the equation, force= mass/
acceleration. If there were to be an accident, traveling on the
right side of the road is safer because the impact would be
less than the impact of traffic on the left side of the road. It
would be greater because the acceleration of the vehicles on
the left side are greater than the acceleration of the vehicles
on the right side.

How do gears help a

bicyclist?
Gears can either lessen the amount of force you exert while
on a bike or increase the amount of force you exert. They can
help a bicyclist depending on the situation, if theyre traveling
up a hill, having a larger gear ratio is useful for them because
theyre traveling more distance in less time. If theyre casually
riding their bike, they can choose to have a smaller gear ratio
which means less work for the cyclist.

Why is it harder to start riding your

bicycle than it is to keep it going?
According to Newtons First Law, forces keep doing what
theyre doing unless acted on by unbalanced forces. Its
harder to start riding your bicycle than it is to keep it going
because a greater force needs to be exerted in order to make
the bicycle move. Rather than when youre already in
movement, the force youre exerting stays the same with no
need for a greater force to be exerted. A bicycle thats been at
rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force is acted upon
it, making it more difficult compared to a bicycle already in
movement.

How does the mass of a bike affect the

riders ability to accelerate?
The mass of the bike affects the riders ability to accelerate
because the mass determines how much work the rider will
have to exert. If the mass is greater, the harder it will be for
the rider to accelerate, itll require more force. More mass
equals more inertia. Therefore, the greater the inertia, the
more force needed to accelerate.

Why do cyclists in races lean into their

turns?
Cyclists lean into their turns because of Newtons First Law.
When you need to make a turn, your bike will want to continue
straight because objects keep doing what theyre doing unless
acted on by unbalanced forces. In order to make that turn,
cyclists lean into them. The reason for them leaning into their
turns is because they need to exert an extra force for their
bike to be able to complete that turn.

Why is a cyclist at much greater risk of injury than a

driver in an accident?
A cyclist is at much greater risk at injury than a driver in an
accident because the cars mass is much greater. Since the
cars mass is greater its inertia is much bigger than the
cyclists inertia. As Newtons First Law states, objects keep
doing what theyre doing unless acted on by unbalanced
forces. The car will keep doing what its doing unless acted on
by an unbalanced force, which is not the cyclist.

Who has the advantage on a downhill bike ride - a

heavier or lighter rider?
A heavier rider would have the advantage on a downhill bike
ride. Theyd have the advantage because theyd take longer
to reach their terminal velocity due to their force of gravity
being bigger than the kighter riders force of gravity. The
lighter rider reachers their terminal velocity much faster than
the heavier rider giving it less time to accelerate. Therefore, a
heavier rider has the advantage because they have more time
to accelerate downhill. The terminal velocity is greater for the
heavier rider.