Physics Roller Coasters

How Physics Applies to Roller Coasters

Everyone at one point or another in their lifetime has ridden a roller coaster before; whether it was for the adrenaline rush or it was for the purpose of having something to do with your friends, we have all ridden one. However, what we do not realize is the amount of science and in particular the physics that goes into the actual construction and experience of these rides. I am not the type of person who enjoys riding roller coasters, but what intrigued me about them was the fact that my physics teacher had once told us of how she and other educators actually went to an amusement park to study the laws of physics. This was highly fascinating and the reason I chose the topic of roller coaster to study

“America’s first roller coaster appeared at Coney Island in 1884. It was this roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, [which] sparked the first wave of roller coaster mania in the United States, also known as the Golden Age of roller coasters.” (ED Staff). The Switchback Railway was designed by the inventor LaMarcus Adna Thompson. This man was inspired to create this contraption after riding the Mauch Chunk Gravity Railroad; which was a railroad designed to transport coal through various mountains. However he was not the first person to create a roller coaster design, “Much of the design work had already been completed in 1878 by another inventor, Richard Knudsen. Knudsen had taken out a patent for his version of the gravity roller coaster, called the “Inclined Plane Railway” but never actually built the thing; so Thompson just picked up right where he left off.” (ED Staff). The Switchback Railroad consisted of two long wooden tracks that were parallel to each other; it was a rather short ride with small slopes, in which you would have to climb up a 50 foot tower just to get on or off;

With speeds ranging from 50 miles per hour to the fastest roller coaster in America with its fastest speed of 128 miles per hour. This roller coaster is called the Kingda Ka and is not only the fastest roller coaster but the tallest as well. “Due to the high speed and open nature of the trains, this ride will not operate in even light rain, as rider contact with rain drops can cause discomfort.” (Listverse Staff). Although this roller coaster is extremely fast, it is not the fastest in the world. The fastest roller coaster in the world resides in the Abu Dhabi Ferrari World theme park; its fastest speed in 149 miles per hour! Now the next question that should pop into your head is how much can an average rider withstand during a ride; this is where physics plays a huge role in rider safety during a roller coaster