Roller Coaster Physics :: physics amusement theme park

Undoubtedly roster coasters are the kings of amusements parks. Whether you enjoy a older, rickety wooden roller coaster with its thrill of positive and negative Gs and a pretty wobbly feeling. Or, you prepher something newer, a tube steel roller coaster. A coaster that is faster, one that includes death defying speeds, hairpin turns, and of course the crme de la crme, loop de loops.However, regardless of you personal tastes and preferences, through exploring this page you will find that all roller coasters are indeed bound by the same fundamental laws. Laws that govern everything in our daily lives, the laws of physics. While exploring this paper, please remember this simple factRoller coasters are fast, theyre fun, theyre exciting, alone above all, theyre PHYSICS The basic physics that apply to roller coasters earth-closet be seen when we examine some of the simple thrills of roller coasters * The relation between Height and speed * Positive and Negative Gs * The cork screw * The loop de loop about of you out there might be wondering, what exactly I mean that when I say that there is energy associated with roller coasters? And the answer is very simple, although roller coasters dont produce, or use energy as most people today would define it--electricity. They do posses what physicists call kinetic (or mechanical) energy, which is the energy of motion and is defined with the compareK=mvwhich is read Kinetic Energy equals one-half mass times focal ratio squared.However, there is an otherwise type of energy associated with roller coasters, and that is gravitational potential energy, which is simply the energy that the roller coaster has due to its position above the earth, and has the formulaU=mghwhich is read Potential Energy equals mass times velocity times height.Then, when we take into account the First law of thermodynamics (also called the conservation law), seen belowThe First Law Of Thermodynamics Energy can be changed from one for m to another, but it can not be created or destroyed. click here to see the source page. So, after taking thermodynamics into account we see that at any given up point during the roller coasters ride, (granted we are using a traditional roller coaster in which there are no extra chains, or engines to lift it other than the first hill, and that friction is negligible) we see that