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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 law of conservation of energy!  As a coaster gets pulled up a hill, a lot of potential energy is being stored.  Once the coaster goes over this hill, most of the potential energy is turned to kinetic energy.  As the roller coaster moves along the tracks, potential energy is being stored, and the coaster can move because this energy becomes kinetic energy.  All of the energy that was stored does not go anywhere.  This is because of the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.  This is what keeps a coaster moving even when it does not have an engine.  The energy in the coaster stays "in the coaster" for the whole ride.  Momentum and the balancing and unbalancing of kinetic and potential energy keep the roller coaster moving along the tracks for the whole ride.

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An immelmann loop is when a coaster goes up, goes around a loop and twists 360 degrees, and then comes back down.  Below is a picture of Afterburn at Carowinds that demonstrates the immelmann loop.

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A cobra roll is when the track of a roller coaster goes up, is then perpendicular to the ground, and goes down again.  This element makes the track look like a cobra's head.  Below is a picture of Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm, which is a great example of a cobra roll.

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A corkscrew is a very common roller coaster element.  A corkscrew is like a "spread out loop" that resembles a corkscrew.  Below is a picture of the ride Corkscrew at Cedar Point, which has two consecutive corkscrews.

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Amazing Record Holding Roller Coasters!!

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Amazing Record Holding Roller Coasters!!

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One of the most advanced roller coasters so far is Kingda Ka, as it has the largest drop (418 feet) and is the tallest roller coaster in the world (456 feet).  It is also the second fastest roller coaster in the world (128 mph).  Not far behind are Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force, both are rides which I have gone on at Cedar Point.  Top Thrill Dragster has the second largest drop of all roller coasters in the world (400 feet), and is also the second tallest roller coaster (420 feet). This ride is also right behind Kingda Ka, and is the third fastest roller coaster in the world (120 mph).  Millennium Force has the fourth largest drop (300 feet), and is the fourth tallest (310 feet) and longest roller coaster in the world (6,595 feet).  It is also the sixth fastest roller coaster in the world (93 mph).  The wooden roller coaster with the largest drop in the world is El Toro (176 foot drop).  El Toro also is the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world (70 mph).  This coaster also holds the record for being the second steepest (76 degree drop) and third tallest (181 feet) roller coaster in the world.  These are some crazy rides, and roller coasters in the future will be even crazier.

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Here is a video of our marble roller coaster in action!

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Below are pictures and a video of our roller coaster! The track was 650 cm long. It had 2 big vertical drops, and 2 loop da loops. The first drop was 48.4 cm long, and 103 cm high. The second drop was 15.6 cm long, and 20.7 cm high. The second drop was 98.2 cm long, and 60.3 cm high. The second loop da loop was 21.4 cm long, and 25.7 cm high. We timed three runs, and the results are as follows: 3.1 sec, 3.08 sec, 3.04. The average speed of the marble during our fastest run was 2.1 m/s. The potential energy in the marble after the first drop was 5.55 joules. The kinetic energy of the marble was 0.01 joules. The loops and drops with these dimensions gave the marble enough momentum to roll all the way through the track!

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The earliest roller coasters were built in the 15th century in Russia. Russians built slides out of hills of ice, and these slides were the beginning of roller coaters. In the 1850s, a mining company in Pennsylvania created a track to deliver coal to and from the mine. This device then became something that people would pay to ride for enjoyment, and this invention led to "scenic railways," which became very popular forms of entertainment in the late 1800s. Many people enjoyed these rides, and more and more thrilling and "high tech" coasters were being invented in the very early 1900s. Wooden coasters with curves and loops were enjoyed by many, and in 1959, a new phenomenon was born. The first steel roller coaster created was the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. Today, there are hundreds, even thousands of thrilling, high tech roller coasters, and they are only getting more advanced as time progresses.

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Kinetic Energy, Potential Energy, and Roller Coasters

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Kinetic Energy, Potential Energy, and Roller Coasters

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Kinetic energy and potential energy are the main reasons why roller coasters work! As you ascend up a hill, a great amount of potential energy is being stored. As you go over the top of the hill, and begin to descend down, all of the potential energy that was stored is turned to kinetic energy, and the roller coaster speeds around the tracks. Kinetic and potential energy change a lot throughout the course of a ride, and this energy is responsible for the thrill of roller coasters!

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Equations for Potential and Kinetic Energy

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Equations for Potential and Kinetic Energy

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Potential energy is stored energy in an object that is not in motion or is about to be in motion.  Potential energy is the greatest when a roller coaster is about to go over a hill, and the smallest when the coaster is in motion.  The mass and height of an object determine the potential energy. The more mass an object has, the faster it will fall, because there is a lot of energy stored in the object. The greater the height of an object, the more time there is for gravity to pull the object back to the ground.  Potential energy is measured in joules.

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Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of its motion. Kinetic energy is greatest when the roller coaster is in motion and smallest when it is at a stop.  Mass and speed determine the amount of kinetic energy an object has. The greater the mass and speed of an object, the more kinetic energy that object will have. Also, kinetic energy can be transferred, and this energy can become electricity.  Kinetic energy is measured in joules.

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Weightlessness occurs a lot on roller coasters. As you go up a hill, there is normal force pushing up on your seat, and gravity pushing down on you. If you go over the hill and "get air," you are not touching the seat, and the normal force is gone. This makes you feel weightless, even though you still have weight.

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Centrifugal force is the feeling caused by inertia. You also feel this force because of centripetal force.

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Momentum is the amount of motion an object has. Momentum depends on the amount of mass and velocity an object has. Roller coasters have a high mass and velocity. Therefore, they have a ton of momentum.

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A "g" is a unit that measures acceleration due to gravity. G's can measure the acceleration caused by gravity while you are going down a hill on a roller coaster.

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Centripetal force pushes inward. This force is present when you ride over curves or loops on a roller coaster. On loops, for example, when you are upside-down, centripetal force pushes inward towards the center of the ride and your body. This force keeps you from falling out of your seat.

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Acceleration occurs when an object speeds up or slows down, or changes direction. Roller coasters accelerate, decelerate, or change directions a lot, and at rapid speed. Roller coasters are great examples of acceleration.

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This is a picture of my favorite roller coaster, Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia!