Physics Of Roller Coasters

Did you know that almost all roller coasters only rely on Earth’s gravity to get the cars down the track? Roller coasters are centered all on physics and I will hopefully teach you some things, big or small about them today. In this essay we will be exploring the world of roller coasters. Some of the topics we will cover will range from the history, to the principles that allow the cars to continue throughout the length of the track, and the general physics surrounding roller coasters.

The history of roller coasters is a very interesting and long one. According to (How Stuff Works), some of the first known roller coasters where in Russia that became popular during the 16th and 17th centuries. People would apparently use sleds made out of
Looking at how they are designed and made are fascinating. An example of one of these would be the starting mechanism called the Catapult-Launch Lift. They are devices that shoot the train out at high speeds instantaneously. One of the most popular versions used today are Electromagnets. Electromagnets are used inside of linier-induction motors in order to build two magnetic fields, one around the track and one around the train car. (How Stuff Works) The magnetic field that the motor creates on the track pulls the magnetic field that is attached to the car which pulls the cars as fast as the motor pulls the magnetic field. There are many advantages to these systems, for example, speed, efficiency, precision, and control. All roller coasters that run need a safety process installed just in case something went wrong. Also to make sure that the cars can safely come to a stop at the end of the ride. These are the brakes. Most use a hydraulic system that closes clamps onto the train car when it needs to slow down. The clamps are usually found on the tracks themselves and gradually put friction on the cars until they gradually slow down. I feel that roller coasters are some of the greatest ways to entertain people. They are very simple when it comes from a physics standpoint. Gravity is doing most of the work and is just assisted by many precautions and safety measures to
Wooden roller coasters while remain some of the oldest roller coasters, they still remain today because of the different feel when riding one. Since steel is so much stronger than wood steel coasters do need as much support for the tracks as a wooden coaster does. Wooden coasters are held up by thousands of cross-ties and diagonal support beams. They have wide lips on the wheels to prevent the cars from flipping off the sides or even a safety bar underneath the cars to prevent them from getting airborne during the ride. The structure of wooden coasters are very similar to a house or skyscrapers in the fact that they use beam framework that supports them. Though it is very rare in modern wooden coasters it is possible for them to make a loop or to have complex twists and turns. Since there are not many loops or complex turns, most of the time the exhilarating parts from a wooden coaster come from simple motion of up and down. (How Stuff