Amusement parks keep coming out with faster and more comple

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How Roller Coasters Function

• By Matthew Olszack and Ivan

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Introduction

• Amusement parks keep coming out with faster and
  more complex roller coasters every year. However,
  the fundamental principles that function in a
  roller coaster remain the same. These principles
  include basic inertial, gravitational and
  centripetal forces. These forces are manipulated
  into the roller coasters to create an
  exhilarating roller coaster ride.
• In this presentation we will go through the
  various principles that keep roller coasters
  twisting and turning around the tracks.

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Energy

• At first glance, a roller coaster looks
  something like a passenger train. It consists of
  a series of connected cars that move on tracks.
  What differs a passenger train from a roller
  coaster is that a roller coaster is moved by
  forces such as inertia and gravity. A passenger
  train is moved by an engine or a power source of
  its own. Energy is also generated in a roller
  coaster by gravity. Energy exertion occurs when
  the roller coaster is pulled up the first hill
  (called the lift hill). The purpose of this
  initial energy is to build up potential energy.
  Potential energy occurs as the coaster gets
  higher in the air creating a greater distance
  for gravity to pull it down. When the roller
  coaster descends, this creates kinetic energy.

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Up and Down the Tracks

• According to Newtons first law of motion, an
  object in motion tends to stay in motion The
  roller coaster will maintain a forward velocity
  even when it is moving up the track as the
  kinetic energy exceeds the gravitational pull.
  When the coaster proceeds up one of the smaller
  hills, the energy changes from kinetic to
  potential energy. The roller coasters speed
  fluctuates throughout the ride because of the
  constant change from kinetic energy to potential
  energy. This makes the roller coaster ride so
  much fun.
• You might be wondering why in most roller coaster
  the hills decrease. This is because the energy
  that is built up in the lift hill is eventually
  lost to friction between the train and the track.
  When the train comes to the end of the track it
  has almost lost all of its energy.

The Pepsi Max Big One, at Black pool Pleasure
Beach This first hill drops the train 205 ft
(62 m) at 74 mph (119 kph).
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Wooden Roller Coasters

• Wooden roller coasters resemble the tracks of
  traditional railroad tracks. Rolled on to a flat
  metal strip are the wheels of the coaster. The
  strip is bolted down to the track which is made
  out of laminated wood. The wheels of the coaster
  are very similar to that of a train. A wide lip
  is contained on the inner part of the lip. This
  keeps the car from falling off the side of the
  track. Underneath the track runs another set of
  wheels, which prevents the cars from flying off
  the tracks.
• With these materials designers create hills,
  twists, and turns in various directions. Not
  only that, they can even flip the train upside
  down. However, this is rare in modern roller
  coasters. The motion is mainly up and down.

The Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk,
Santa Cruz, CA This classic wooden coaster was
built in 1924.
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Tubular Steel Coasters

• In the 1950s, roller coasters designs changed
  completely with the introduction of tubular steel
  tracks. Tubular steel tracks consist of a pair
  of steel tubes. The wheels that sit right on the
  track are made of nylon or polyurethane. In
  addition to the wheels that lay on the track, the
  cars have wheels that run along the side and the
  bottom of the tubes. All of these wheels keep
  the car secured to the track.
• The train cars in tubular steel coasters may rest
  on the track or attach to the track. In a
  suspended coaster, the hanging trains swing form
  a pivoted joint, adding an additional side to
  side motion. In an inverted coaster, the hanging
  train is attached to the track, which gives the
  designer more control over how the cars move.

The Dragon Khan, a tubular steel roller coaster
at Universal Studios Port Aventura in Salou,
Spain The 4,165 feet (1,269 meters) of track in
this coaster is twisted into several loops,
twists and corkscrews.
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Tubular Roller Coasters cont.

• A tubular track is laid out with large curved
  segments unlike a wooden track which is laid out
  in small pieces. In a tubular roller coaster,
  the ride is smooth while in a wooden the ride is
  rough. Each roller coaster has it's own
  distinctive character.

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THE END