The thrill, adrenaline, and sometimes sheer terror make going on a rollercoaster worth it! Have you ever really thought about what goes into making a rollercoaster? The answer is physics!
How It Works
Rollercoasters use potential energy. This is built up by going higher in the air, up the rollercoaster’s track. Once at the top, gravity pulls you down and creates kinetic energy. This energy is what allows you to go down the track at a fast rate. Potential and kinetic energy are all around us and not just on rollercoasters; from driving up a hill to riding your bike down an incline. The downward force and constant motion in all directions is what makes rollercoasters so enjoyable for some. Newton’s First Law Of Motion is proven on a rollercoaster- when something is in motion, it will stay in motion. So basically the rate of speed that your body is going on the ride will stay the same until the force (rollercoaster) causes it to change the speed. When the rollercoaster speeds up, so will your body, and when it slows down, so will you.
The Basic Feelings Felt
On a rollercoaster you will feel a pulling sensation, thanks to gravity. You will feel it everywhere in your body from your legs, to ribs, to head. Some people do throw up on rollercoasters and this is often caused from the pulling sensation that is felt in the stomach. Riders will also feel the thrill of acceleration. This is felt when the rollercoaster speeds up. Acceleration is what will having you gripping at the restraining bar on the ride. The inertia of the ride and the inertia of your body are both separate from each other which causes your body to feel it in different ways.
Record Setting Rollercoasters
The amount of force and acceleration you feel on a rollercoaster and how long you feel it will depend on things like how fast it is going, how tall the rollercoaster actually is and how long it is. If you are looking for the ultimate rollercoaster thrill, check out these record setting roller coasters:
– The Fastest Rollercoaster In The World: Formula Rossa At Ferrari World In Abu Dhabi, Top Speed 149.1 mph
– The Tallest Rollercoaster In The World: Kingda Ka At Six Flags Great Adventure In Jackson, New Jersey With A Top Height Of 456 feet with a “Top Hat” tower with a 90-degree ascent and descent. Riders reach 128 mph in a mere 3.5 seconds
– The Longest Rollercoaster In The World: Steel Dragon 2000 At Nagashima Spa Land In Japan With A Span Of 8,133.2 feet. Four minutes of roller coaster elements such as a 30-story rop, tunnels, figure-eights, massive camel backs
– The Steepest Incline Rollercoaster In The World: Takabisha roller coaster in Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland amusement park opened in 2011. The drop is 121 degrees and its style of coaster, is known as a Gerstlaur Euro-Fighter, is famous for combining vertical lifts with steep drops.
– The Tallest Vertical Loop: Full Throttle opened in 2013 at Six Flags Magic Mountain park in Valencia, California. Its vertical loop stands at 160-feet tall
(The Green Lantern was originally part of the the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom but moved in 2011 to Jackson New Jersey. The Green Lantern in Six Flags once held the record for the largest vertical loop in the world with a 144 foot drop.)
