A ball on a string is swung in a vertical circle. Energy is conserved, so the ball moves fastest at the bottom and slowest at the top. Watch the string tension change with position: it is largest at the bottom, where it both turns the ball and supports its weight, and smallest at the top.
MissionRun the loop, then predict where the string tension is greatest.Streak 0Best 0
As the ball circulates at steady energy, the string tension is greatest at the:
positiontop
speed v here4.0 m/s
tension T here3.4 N
tension at the bottom15.1 N
tension at the top3.4 N
Bottom: T = mv²/r + mg. Top: T = mv²/r − mg. The ball is fastest at the bottom, so the tension peaks there.