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Roller Coasters Research Paper

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Physics of Roller Coasters
We have all gone to an amusement park and saw the insane triple looped, upside down, hanging from your feet roller coasters, zooming feet above our heads. But realistically, how is this possible?
Roller coasters all begin with some initial boost to initiate momentum and speed. In most cases, this boost, otherwise known as a “lift hill” or “chain lift”, mechanically pulls the roller coaster to the top of the first, and tallest hill. Other roller coasters use a Hydraulic Launch System to shoot the coaster straight into its fast speed. Hydraulics uses a system of two cables that connect to the bottom of the roller coaster’s catch car, the bottom of the car, and a winch that will pull the cables and release the car at …show more content…

The law on conservation states that the total energy in one part of the coaster will be equal to any given part of the coaster. Total energy is equal to the sum of the potential and kinetic energy.
In order to keep the roller coaster from crashing into the ground, it needs a buffer to slow it down. Loops are one of the ways that this can be done. Depending on how high the hill is, your loop will be larger or smaller. If the hill adjacent to the loop is taller, then the loop will be larger. Looping also requires a centripetal force, the force that acts on a moving object going in a circular path. Centripetal force is based off of the weight, velocity, and radius of the loop.
However, a loop for a roller coaster is not a circle, called a vertical loop, rather it is a teardrop shape. It has been discovered over the years that having a more circular loop can cause severe neck and head injuries because of the intense force from the radius of the loop. Loops are nowadays formed into a clothoid loop to ensure safety and reduce pressure. While going up the loop, the car is acting against gravity, making it move slower as it gets to the top of the loop. Once the car has passed the middle it begins to move faster with the help of gravity. If the loop curvature is constant than it will emit the greatest force at the end of the loop. If the curvature of the loop is not a constant track then riders will feel the “jerks”

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