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Roller coasters are a fun enjoyment at any fairground or amusement park. From the Dumbo ride at Disneyland to the Goliath at 6 flags. Wether it's a high rushing adrenaline ride or a simple hill or drop it brings excitement to anyone. But how does a Roller coaster work? Obviously it's not just thrown on the track and ready to go. There is a lot of engineering behind the design, drops, and the length of the ride. But how does physics and all that science junk relate to a roller coaster? It has everything to do with a roller coaster. The physics behind roller coasters make sure you don't fly out of your seat when going on a loop. Let's look at some of the physics behind the amazing rides.

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A. Acceleration

Objects changing speed or direction of that object are accelerating. The rate at the speed or the direction changes is also known as acceleration. Some amusement park rides are known for the changes in speed or direction. Roller coasters have large accelerations. The carousel has a small acceleration compared to a roller coaster.

B. Centripetal Force an Centrifugal Force

Centripetal force moves along a curve or through a circle is caused by a centripetal force. This is a force that pushes an object in an inward direction. The moon orbits in a circular motion because a force of gravity pulls on the moon in an inward direction toward the center of its orbit. In a roller coaster loop the riders are pushed inwards towards the center of the loop.

Centrifugal force is the opposite of centripetal force in that it pushes out instead of in towards the center. When a roller coaster is going down a hill it feels as though your lifting up from the seat. This is due to Centrifugal force.

C. "g"

A g is a unit of acceleration equal to the acceleration caused by gravity. Gravity causes free-falling objects on the Earth to change their speeds at rates of about 10 m/s each second. If an object is experiencing 3 g's of acceleration then the object is changing speeds at a rate of about 30 m/s every second.

D. Momentum

Momentum is the quantity of motion that an object possesses. Any mass that is in motion has momentum. Momentum depends upon mass and velocity. Mass is the amount of stuff that is moving and how fast the stuff is moving. A train of roller coaster cars moves at a high speed and has a lot of momentum. A tennis ball that moves at high speed has less momentum.

E. Weightlessness

Amusement park rides often cause sensation of weightlessness. At the top of a tower in free fall ride, a 100 pound rider would feel 100 pounds of force from the seat pushing as an external force upon their body. When they are in free fall they feel as though they have lost all weight but really haven't.

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Friction is the resistance when an object and a surface go over one another. In relation to roller coasters the friction slows down the engine this is why the hills get smaller and smaller as you keep going on the track. If the track had bigger loops then the train might stop before it reaches the terminal.

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Potential energy is the amount of energy stored up to be pulled down by gravity converting into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is never greater then potential energy. Objects at higher elevations have increased potential energy then that of on lower elevation. Both of these energies have to do with motion of objects. It also depends on gravity pulling down on the objects.

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Kinetic energy and Potential energy on roller coasters 

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Kinetic energy and Potential energy on roller coasters 

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When a roller coaster is going up a hill it's gaining energy. Once it reaches the top of the hill it meets it's maximum amount of potential energy. When it rolls down the hill the potential energy is instantly changed to kinetic energy when it's falling. Then when it goes through a loop about mid way through the loop the kinetic and potential energy are equal.

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The first roller coasters were built in the Russian mountains that were ice slides. They were a popular attraction for the upper class of people. It then progressed into wheeled cars being locked to the track. Guide rails were introduced to have the carts go at higher speeds and keep them on course. Scenic Railways were made when a mining company would have its ore carts towed to the mills to be processed. The first steel roller coaster was the Matterhorn Bobsleds at the Disneyland theme park.

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Formula Rossa:

fastest roller coaster goes up to 150 mph. Acceleration is 150 mph in 4.8 seconds.

Kingda Ka:

tallest roller coaster and longest steel roller coaster drop. 465 ft tall, 418 drop ft.

Goliath:

longest wooden roller coaster drop and fastest wooden roller coaster. 72mph and 180 foot drop.

Steel Dragon 2000:

Longest steel roller coaster. 8133 ft long.

The Beast:

Longest wooden roller coaster. 7359 ft long.

Takabisha:

Steepest steel roller coasters. 121 degree angle.

GateKeeper:

Tallest roller coasters inversions. 170 ft.

Full Throttle:

Tallest vertical loops. 160 ft.

The Smiler:

Most inversions on a steel roller coaster. 14 inversions.

Outlaw Run:

Most inversions on a wooden roller coaster. 3 inversions.

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A. Batwing

A heart shaped element that inverts (turns the riders upside down) twice. This is the opposite of a cobra roll.

B. Butterfly Inversion

It begins with a normal loop but as the track goes up it twists 45 degrees to one side. As the track goes on it twists back.

C. Cobra Roll

This is a roller coaster inversion. Riders traverse forward through an upwards half vertical loop, corkscrew perpendicular to the first direction, enter another corkscrew that merges into a downward half-vertical loop.

D. Hammerhead turn

A flying maneuver and similar to The train then banks heavily to the side opposite the initial curve and finishes its climb while it negotiates the overall turn, beginning its descent mid-way through the turn. The second half of the element is the same as the first half, but in reverse order. While negotiating a hammerhead turn element, the train makes a turn of more than 180 degrees.

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How does a roller coaster continue to move through the twists and turns of a track if it only uses an engine at the very beginning?

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How does a roller coaster continue to move through the twists and turns of a track if it only uses an engine at the very beginning?

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The Answer:

Usually on a roller coaster there is a hill at the very beginning this is so that there is a potential energy build up for the entire ride. Once the train goes down the hill kinectic energy is put in place of potential energy. There are more hills put in to create more kinetic energy for the rest of the ride.

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Average speed of marble: 4.11

Potential Energy: 10.78

Kinectic Energy: .000127