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Contributor: Jay Gregorio. Lesson ID: 13303
There are two types of amusement park riders — those scared of roller coasters and those who aren't! Whether you like the thrill of roller coasters or not, you can always have fun with physics!
It is celebrated in America every 16TH of August! People who love roller coasters gather at amusement parks for exciting rides ... with a few screams!
On August 16, 1898, Edwin Prescott from Massachusetts patented the first vertical loop roller coaster. Roller coasters existed before this, but the early simple designs resembled train cars on a track.
Prescott created his Loop the Loop roller coaster, which operated in Coney Island, New York, until 1910.
Its design was not a great success.
Fortunately, many new inventors followed in his footsteps and finally made the vertical loop roller coaster the adrenaline rush of excitement we know today!
Discover the physics behind the engineering and construction of roller coasters!
Riders of today would yawn during this ride and wonder where the thrill is!
It does not compare with the 128 miles per hour top speed of Kingda Ka, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the United States in Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey! (2020)
Mechanical Energy
Before you go deeper into the analysis of how roller coasters work, you must know the types of energy involved in the process.
Mechanical energy is a term used to describe the energy possessed by an object due to its position and motion. This energy allows an object to do work or to perform a certain function.
All energy has a standard unit of measurement called the joule (J).
There are two types of mechanical energy.
Potential Energy (PE) is the energy of an object due to its relative position from a point. It is also called stored energy.
This means that if you are dropping an object, the higher your drop point is, the greater the object's potential energy.
Kinetic Energy (KE) is the energy of an object due to its motion.
Every moving object with mass has kinetic energy. It is dependent on how heavy the object is and how fast it is moving.
This means that when an object is dropped from a height and starts moving downward, it gains kinetic energy.
Explore Mechanical Energy to better understand what it is and how it works.
Energy Transformations in Roller Coasters
When a roller coaster moves, heat is generated by the wheels as they come in contact with railways. Sound is also produced in the process. These are both examples of energy produced and lost when a roller coaster runs.
To simplify this analysis, however, we will treat the total energy of a roller coaster as conserved. The word conserved is a term used in physics to describe something that remains the same; nothing is created nor destroyed.
Previously, you learned about the two types of mechanical energy: potential energy (PE) and kinetic energy (KE).
When roller coasters run, there is a transformation within these two types of mechanical energy. This means some potential energy becomes kinetic energy, and kinetic energy becomes potential energy.
Nevertheless, the total amount of energy is conserved — it is the same. In expression, that looks like this.
Mechanical Energy (ME) = Potential Energy (PE) + Kinetic Energy (KE)
Imagine a roller coaster starting its journey atop the hill.
Yes, potential energy!
When the roller coaster is at rest on top of the hill, it has the maximum potential energy but zero kinetic energy. Because mechanical energy is the sum of both, the value of the potential energy is also the total mechanical energy.
Now, imagine the roller coaster approaching the track's lowest part.
If you answered that it has both, you are correct!
When the roller coaster starts moving downward, it will start to speed up. The process of gaining speed means that kinetic energy is increasing.
This is what transformation of energy looks like. Some potential energy was transformed into kinetic energy when the roller coaster started moving.
However, adding the amount of potential and kinetic energy at every point in the roller coaster's motion should give you the same amount of mechanical energy — it should be conserved.
Look at both of the above diagrams again.
The answer is yes. When the roller coaster is at the bottom of the track, kinetic energy becomes the maximum value while potential energy approaches zero.
The mechanical energy within this system is the same at any point (ignoring other means of energy such as heat and sound).
In the Got It? section, review these basic concepts and test how much you learned! Move on whenever you're ready.
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