The Banking Angle in a Turn on the Olympic Bobsled

question 11

Multiple Choice

The banking angle in a turn on the Olympic bobsled track is not constant, but increases upward from the horizontal. Coming around a turn, the bobsled team will intentionally "climb the wall," then go lower coming out of the turn. Why do they do this?

• A) to give the team better control, because they are able to see ahead of the turn
• B) to prevent the bobsled from turning over
• C) to take the turn at a faster speed
• D) to take the turn at a slower speed
• E) to reduce the g-force on them

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Definitions:

Groupthink

A behavioral pattern observed in groups where the pursuit of agreement or uniformity leads to choices that are illogical or counterproductive.

Challenger Disaster

The catastrophic failure of the Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after its launch on January 28, 1986, leading to the death of all seven crew members.

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research.

Groupthink

An occurrence in group dynamics where the preference for consensus or compliance leads to outcomes in decision-making that are unreasonable or ineffective.