(This is Splash Mountain which is located at Disneyland)
Most roller coasters start by being dragged up a hill by a chain lift, as the coaster is getting pulled up it is gaining more and more potential energy, which is known by the equation PE=mgh where m is the mass of the coaster and people, g is 9.81m/s/s or better known as the force of gravity and h is the height that the coaster has been pulled up.
At the top of the first hill, the coaster will have the most potential energy and this will drive the coaster for the rest of the ride. This potential energy will be converted throughout the journey of the ride into kinetic energy and friction. Kinetic energy which is known by the equation KE=.5mV^2 where m is the mass and V is the velocity, while friction is the energy heat lost through the ride.
This conversion of PE to KE is how the roller coaster will run until the end of the ride where the brakes will engage. To show this idea it look at the picture below in which is shows where the KE will be the highest meaning the most speed.
This makes sense, in a super simple way. But it's cool to think about how much other stuff goes into it, like friction and air resistance. Also, it has to be able to function with all kinds of different weights for when the ride is completely full, half full, or even completely empty.
ReplyDeleteNicole,
ReplyDeleteThose are very important and they are taken into account for example the wheels are attached in a certain way in order for the coaster to not fly off. I plan to do another post on the brakes and how it stays on the tracks.
This seems like a pretty basic concept to a bunch of engineers but it really communicates the idea well to different publics. Great concise and clear post.
ReplyDeleteI really like your picture. It is very simple but uses the technical terms for those who are interested but haven't necessarily heard about kinetic and potential energy before. I used to have the game Roller Coaster Tycoon as a child, I wonder if they use that game has any scientific usability (for modeling) to it.
ReplyDeleteA GREAT example of using something from popular culture that most are familiar with to explain a scientific concept. Nice job.
ReplyDeleteI do like Nicole's comment and hope you follow up.