Water Slide (side view)
As the person goes down the slide the weight remains the same.
The normal force starts off equal to and opposite the weight. As the person goes down the slide the normal force stays perpendicular to the slide. It gets smaller and smaller until the slide starts to flatten out, at this point the normal force gets bigger than the weight because the slide must stop the downward motion and send the person in another direction. The normal force then gets smaller and smaller until it is again equal and opposite to the weight at the end of the slide.
The force of air friction starts off at zero and increases as the speed of the person increases. It reaches its peak near the middle of the slide, then decreases to zero by the end.
The force of water friction on the person is zero for most of the slide. The water is falling at the same rate as the person. At the bottom of the slide water is used to slow the rider down so the force of friction gets bigger at the bottom. It gets smaller as the rider slows to a stop.
by Brian H.
