ROLLER COASTER PHYSICS
SPRING 2003 RESOURCES
The
Physics Classroom
[ About The Physics Classroom | 1-D Kinematics | Newton's
Laws | Vectors - Motion and Forces in Two Dimensions | Momentum
and Its Conservation | Work, Energy, and Power | Circular Motion
and Satellite Motion | Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity
| Static Electricity | Current Electricity | Waves | Sound Waves
and Music | Light Waves and Color | Reflection and the Ray Model
of Light | Refraction and the Ray Model of Light | Credits and
Thanks | Technical Notes | Future Plans ]
Shockwave
Physics Studios
Graphing Motion / Free Body Diagrams / Hit the Target
/ Time Dilation / Length Contraction / RGB Lighting
/ Painting With CMY
QUICKTIME
MOVIES
Vectors and Projectiles / Momentum and Collisions /
Work and Energy
Roller Coaster
Forces and Motion Shockwave
Funderstanding
Roller Coaster Java Applet (Simulator of hills, loops, gravity,
speed, mass)
Roller Coaster Project Resources
The Physics behind the Roller Coaster:
Other Related Resources
- The Roller Coaster Data
Base
- The World of Coasters
a site for roller coaster enthusiasts.
- Physics
Glossary Terms
- The
Coaster Cool Lost Coasters Page has great photos!
- Physics
Games explores concepts of energy and force.
- The
Rolling Ball Web provides wonderfull photos of sculptures
that incorporate rolling balls.
- Downhill
Discoveries provides lesson plans devoted to the physical
concepts behind roller coasters.
Your job is to find out how roller coasters work and use this
information to build a simple model of a roller coaster. You
will learn about roller coaster design, laws of motion, and about
velocity and acceleration. You will design virtual roller coaster
tracks and see what happens to the roller coaster when you change
variables such as height of hills, length of track, mass of the
coaster, and speed of the coaster. Then you will collect simple
materials and build a model of a roller coaster track. Finally,
you will test your track with a model roller coaster and report
on your results.
Resources
Look at the web sites given here to find the information that
will enable you to build a model of a roller coaster and test
it.
- Go
Figure: Roller Coaster Physics
Go to this site to see the formulas that are used to determine
the total energy needed for a roller coaster ride. The calculations
given as examples are based on the Batman roller coaster at Six
Flags St. Louis.
- Roller Coaster
World
Amusement
Park Physics: Roller Coaster
Read about the principles for designing roller coasters and then
immediately apply this knowledge by designing and testing your
own online roller coaster.
Inventing the Scream Machine
When were they invented? How have they changed? Who are the heroes
of the roller coaster industry? Starting in the 18th Century,
follow the historical evolution of the modern roller coaster
on this clickable and informative roller coaster history timeline
Discovery
Channel: Thrills, Chills Spills
Top ten coasters, coaster webcam, coaster crosswords, coaster
history, and design your own coaster. If you've got the stomach
for such thrills, chills and spills, Discovery Online has it
all.
Disney's
Coaster
A free download of Disney's "Coaster" design software
is available at this weblink. After designing your coaster, jump
on board your virtual creation and have a front row seat for
the thrill of your life!
- Click on any of the vocabulary words below to hear them pronounced
and used in a sentence.
principle
of conservation of energy
- Definition: The principle that within the universe,
or any closed system, although energy may transform from one
kind to another, the total energy remains constant.
Context: The principle of conservation of energy states
that as potential energy transforms into kinetic energy (and
vice versa), the total energy should remain constant at all times
and in all places on the roller coaster.
friction
- Definition: A resistance to relative motion of two
surfaces that are in contact with each other as they roll or
slide across one another.
Context: Due to frictional interactions between the roller
coaster car and the track, the mechanical energy is lost and
transformed into heat.
gravitational
potential energy (GPE)
Definition: The energy that a mass has because of its
vertical separation (height) from the earth; calculated with
GPE = mgh, where m is the mass, g is the
acceleration due to gravity (-9.80m/s2 on Earth),
and h is the height from some arbitrarily defined initial
height.
Context: All the energy needed to run a roller coaster
to the end of the track comes from the gravitational potential
energy that it has when lifted to the top of the first and highest
hill.
heat
(thermal energy)
- Definition: The atomic and molecular energy of matter
due to the kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules vibrating
and moving with random motions.
Context: As the mechanical energy of a system such as
a roller coaster is transformed into heat, we can expect that
the temperature of that system and the environment in which it
exists will rise somewhat.
kinetic
energy (KE)
- Definition: The energy that a mass has because it
is moving; calculated with KE = mv2/2, where m
is the mass and v is the velocity.
Context: As the roller coaster glides down each hill,
the gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic
energy and you and the car go faster and faster.
mechanical
energy
- Definition: Energy generally associated with a moving
mass or the action, or the potential action, of a force being
applied through a distance.
Context: The two forms of mechanical energy that are relevant
to the understanding of how a roller coaster works are gravitational
potential energy and kinetic energy.