Michael JensenRoller Coasters
June 6th 2009 00:30
Well, I've been promising to cover the topic of roller coasters for awhile, and now, here it is! First, a little history.
The first "Roller Coaster" type rides were descended from "Russian Mountains". "Russian Mountains" were custom-made hills of ice, reinforced with wood, on which the rider would sled down a 50-degree drop. These early coasters were constructed during the 17th century, especially around St. Petersburg.
So how are modern roller coasters built? Well, even after doing some extensive searching on the internet, I can't seem to find out! But I will do some more research and post if I learn anything else.
Well, since I can't explain how roller coasters are built, I will at least explain how they work. Although they go so fast, roller coasters don't actually have motors on the cars. The speed is created through the transfer of potential energy to kinetic energy. Potential energy is created when the cars are towed up the initial hill, and is converted into kinetic (moving) energy when the cars zoom down the other side of the hill under the force of gravity. This kinetic energy is then used to send the coaster coasting around a series of turns, corkscrews, loops, and hills.
Although it may seem as if roller coasters would be very dangerous, they're not. Many safety precautions are in place to keep riders safe. But even if the safety restraints were to some how fail, say, on a loop, you would still probably be okay. Why? It's because of something called centrifugal force. According to Wikipedia, centrifugal force "represents the effects of inertia that arise in connection with rotation and which are experienced as an outward force away from the center of rotation." "Outward force away from the center of rotation" is exactly what happens in a roller coaster loop. So, if the safety restraints failed on a loop, the centrifugal force generated would keep you in the seat.
A combination of physics, engineering, great ideas, and adrenaline, roller coasters attract thousands of thrill seekers each year to theme parks around the world. And if you've ever ridden one, you probably know why.
The first "Roller Coaster" type rides were descended from "Russian Mountains". "Russian Mountains" were custom-made hills of ice, reinforced with wood, on which the rider would sled down a 50-degree drop. These early coasters were constructed during the 17th century, especially around St. Petersburg.
So how are modern roller coasters built? Well, even after doing some extensive searching on the internet, I can't seem to find out! But I will do some more research and post if I learn anything else.
Well, since I can't explain how roller coasters are built, I will at least explain how they work. Although they go so fast, roller coasters don't actually have motors on the cars. The speed is created through the transfer of potential energy to kinetic energy. Potential energy is created when the cars are towed up the initial hill, and is converted into kinetic (moving) energy when the cars zoom down the other side of the hill under the force of gravity. This kinetic energy is then used to send the coaster coasting around a series of turns, corkscrews, loops, and hills.
Although it may seem as if roller coasters would be very dangerous, they're not. Many safety precautions are in place to keep riders safe. But even if the safety restraints were to some how fail, say, on a loop, you would still probably be okay. Why? It's because of something called centrifugal force. According to Wikipedia, centrifugal force "represents the effects of inertia that arise in connection with rotation and which are experienced as an outward force away from the center of rotation." "Outward force away from the center of rotation" is exactly what happens in a roller coaster loop. So, if the safety restraints failed on a loop, the centrifugal force generated would keep you in the seat.
A combination of physics, engineering, great ideas, and adrenaline, roller coasters attract thousands of thrill seekers each year to theme parks around the world. And if you've ever ridden one, you probably know why.
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