Explain
Man has since the dawn of time wanted to soar higher and experience the thrill of flight. This has taken shape in today’s society when Americans today new theme parks and roller coasters. It has brought on legions of fans and sites dedicated to the thrill of the experience. People nowadays can experience this thrill and strive to go higher in this endeavor.
So how does the rollercoaster work?
You may not notice, but when you are actually flying down that hill or swerving along the track, you’re basically unsecured to the ride or attraction. The rollercoaster has no means of propulsion; it has no engine at all. The car is usually pulled to the top of the hill by some means, but the physics behind the ride are what actually drive you. Your car actually has to complete the ride utilizing several factors that influence it’s movement. This is why a large hill in the beginning would behoove any coaster that required loops and other death-defying stunts. The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is the only thing needed to power the car. By the time it reaches the apex of the hill it has enough to launch you and anyone else through the rest of the ride.
Click here to view a movie on a coaster going up a lift hill.
Once you are moving through the ride, different wheels help keep the ride as smooth as it is. Running wheels tend to guide the coaster. Friction wheels control the lateral motions (the forward and backward movement). And the up-stop wheels (located on the side of the track) keeps the coaster on track even if it’s inverted. Without these wheels, a coaster wouldn’t work. Compressed air breaks are the final measure, serving the purpose of gliding the car in for a smooth finish at the end of the ride.
When a train is at the top and bottom of a hill, there isn't any potential or kinetic energy being utilized at all. The train, while at the bottom of the drop, should have enough energy to reach the height of the lift hill. Typically, the second hill won’t reach as high as the first for safety reasons obviously. The train, if it rolled back, could get stuck in-between the hills. With everyone’s safety a concern, this is not a height that can be reached by the second hill, and should be taken into consideration when manufacturing the rollercoaster. The train would never make it back up the hill because of dissipative forces. The thought of a train being able to complete the height of the lift-hill was scrapped when scientists declared it impossible.
So then, how does a coaster with a loop work?
It might just be simpler than you think. On a coaster with a loop, the general rule of centripetal force is in operation because the train makes a turn at every point during the loop. Newton's first law says that an object in motion will stay in motion unless another force acts on it in an impeding manner. A great number of Newton's Laws are applied when it comes to roller coasters. The force that makes the train turn through the loop is centripetal force. The equation for the amount of centripetal force needed to move an object in a circular rotation is: [mv(squared)] divided by r. This would be motion times velocity squared divided by resistance.