Assignment – The World’s Largest Ferris Wheels
The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel located in Singapore.Described by its
operators as an observation wheel, it reaches 42 stories high, witha total height of 165 m,
making it the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Situated on thesoutheast tip of the
Marina Centrereclaimed land, it comprises a 150 m diameter wheel,built over a three-
story terminal building which houses shops, bars and restaurants.Each of the 28 air-
conditioned capsules is capable of holding 28 passengers, and acomplete rotation of the
wheel takes about 30 minutes.
The Star of Nanchang is a 160-metre tall giant Ferris wheel locatedin the eastern Chinese
city of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province. A singlerotation takes approximately 30
minutes; the slow rotation speed allows passengers to embark anddisembark without the
wheel having to stop turning.( the diameter is 153)
The 190.5 m New York Wheel is going to be constructed at StatenIsland, New York
Cityalong with the Harbor Commons retail complex.A single ride willlast about 38 minutes.
The construction began in May 2015, withthe gaol of opening theattraction by April 2018.(
the diameter is 183)
Your Task
1. Calculate the speed of these three Ferris wheels inmetres/minute. ( 6 marks)
2. Design a Ferris wheel of your own, with a diameter somewherebetween 160 m and
190.5 m. Your Ferris wheel should be faster than the slowest ofthose above, but
not as fast as the fastest.Use mathematics to justify that yourFerris wheel meets
these specifications.
3. Draw a scale diagram of your Ferris wheels. ( 1 mark)
4. On the same coordinate system, draw two curves modelling theheight of a
passenger with respect to time for 1 of the three and your wheels.Draw at least
two cycles for each Ferris wheel. Start each cycle at the heightwhere the
passenger gets on the wheel. (Hint: Determine the period,amplitude, and equation
of the axis for each graph.)