What a GREAT Way to Look at Motion, Forces and Other Physics Concepts!
Design your own roller coaster! All kinds of rides at this site. This site is required!
Lots of info on how to do this project.
It's not all roller coasters..I promise.
Look at the Busch Gardens Web Page!
This webpage designed by Liz Woolard, NBCT physics teacher at
Raleigh Charter High School, Raleigh, NC. Updated 02/02/2006
Good information & entertaining as well!
The list below provides resources for your exploration of Amusement Park Physics.
Great site to explore amusement park physics!
Amusement Park Physics--not exactly what you have in mind as you hop on that roller coaster! But every thrill you experience on that ride is determined by the physics involved and the people who designed the ride know that. Scientists love to ask questions, so let's ask some questions about this physics lab site-- The Amusement Park.
Why am I "stuck" to the side of the roller coaster car as it whips around a curve?
Both you and the car were moving in a straight line before the curve. The Law of Inertia (Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion) states that this is the natural way of things and a force is needed to change that motion. So when the track makes the car turn right, your body keeps going straight for a while until the side of the car gets in the way. Then the wall of the car pushes you to change your direction too. The sharper the curve, the harder the wall must push to get you to move away from that straight line motion.
Why don't I fall out when the roller coaster enters a vertical loop?
Once again, because of inertia, your body wants to continue in a straight line all along the loop. As you near the top your straight line path points up toward the sky. The curved track has to push you downward. (Remember that you are upside down! Gravity helps to push you down but the faster you go, the more part the track must play to curve you away from the straight line path!
A Look at Physics of Roller Coasters
Ms. Woolard testing the acceleration on Apollo's Chariot!
Let's Go to the Amusement Park!