Imagine getting on a roller coaster. The roller coaster is starting up. It’s slowly reaching the top of the track. Suddenly the roller coaster takes off and is now reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Now imagine the roller coaster is having an error. The roller coaster is breaking down. Innocent lives are getting injured, or worse. Roller coasters now are bigger, faster, and taller. However, roller coasters are now more dangerous than ever before. Roller coasters can cause a lot of pain to people. . Riding roller coaster can stop a person’s heart (Ruben, 2003). They could tear a foot in half (Saffian, 2000). Roller coasters can even decapitate a head (Ride, 2008). Even though it is rare for someone to get injured while riding a roller …show more content…
According to Douglas Smith and David Meaney professors at the University of Pennsylvania roller coasters do not produce enough gravitational force (g-force) to cause swelling or bleeding of the brain (Smith, 2002). Gravitational forces are forces acting upon the body as a result of acceleration or gravity. The writers of the study claim that even in a worst-case scenario the head rotational accelerations experienced by roller coaster rides are nowhere strong enough to cause severe damage to the brain (Smith, 2002). Professor Smith and Meaney did their studies using many roller coaster rides like the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at the Disney-MGM studio park in Florida, Speed- The Ride at the Nascar Café in Las Vegas Nevada, and the Face-Off at Kings Island in Ohio (Smith, 2002). However, after reading the article I noticed some flaws in their study. For instance they didn’t use the extremely fast roller coasters like Kingda Ka which can reach speeds of up to 128 mph. They also only studied extremely healthy people. They did not study children or adults with previous health issues. According to Robert Braksiek there are several roller coasters that are capable of causing enough G-forces to stimulate subdural hematomas (when blood gathers between the Dura meter and the brain) in riders of these roller coasters (Braksiek, 2002). With enough shearing forces may be severe enough to rupture cortical veins leading to subdural hematoma (Braksiek,
Every year an estimated 290 million people all over the world flock to amusement and theme parks to experience the thrills and excitement of the modern day roller coaster. (Boldurian 16). Now thousands of people a day can safely experience the G-forces that an astronaut or fighter pilot would experience in flight. "The Revolution" a roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia California gives riders an amazing 4.9 Gs; that is 1.5 more than an astronaut at launch. (Boldurian 16). These G-forces create thrills and fear and excitement in all who ride them. But the truth is that there is no reason to fear. Roller Coasters are exceptionally safe. The mortality rate for roller coasters is one in 90 million, and most of the fatality occurred due to failure to follow safety guidelines. (Boldurian 17). But roller coasters have not always been this safe. One of the first coaster attractions was actually just a mine rail designed to bring coal to the base of the mountain (Lemelson-MIT Program). The attraction was a thirty minute ride, with speeds of more than one-hundred miles per hour. As time went on entrepreneurs in the late 1800's began creating “quick buck cheap thrill attractions.” These early coasters lacked safety for the sake of thrills. This changed when John A. Miller engineer and roller coaster designer began making coasters. John Miller held over 100 patents many of which were for roller coaster safety and functionality that are still used today (Lemelson-MIT Program). John Miller's inventions and improvements to the roller coaster make him the father of the modern roller coaster that we know today.
Gravity is the force that attracts a roller coaster to the Earth and determines how far along the track it was pulled. When a roller coaster crests a hill, the gravity takes over and pulls it along the track at a “constant rate of 9.8 meters per second squared”(1) according to the website Wonderopolis’ article titled “How Do Roller Coasters Work?”. This numerical value, (or concept), is called the acceleration of gravity. It means that no matter the shape, size or mass of an object on Earth, gravity will pull it down at a rate of 9.8 meters every second, assuming there are no other interfering factors to mess with the decimal. In the article “How does Gravity work?” Tom Harris describes gravity and height’s relationship by stating, “As the coaster gets higher in the air, gravity can pull it down a greater distance” (1). This means that if a roller coaster were on top of a hill one thousand feet high, it would be pulled a lot further along the track by gravity than a coaster on a hill with a crest one hundred feet. Why? Because the coaster at one thousand feet has a stronger pull towards the Earth and can go farther because of it. The aspects of gravity, the acceleration of gravity and its relationship with height, are all important aspects of the force gravity. In conclusion, gravity is a vital, while fascinating, type of phenomena to observe in roller
It was the summer of 2012 and my family was taking another trip to Six Flags Great America. Earlier that summer we went just for me to be disappointed. At the time I wasn’t 54 inches yet and couldn’t ride any of the rides that I wanted to because they were the most popular at the amusement park. But, I hit a growth spurt between trips and we planned to ride all of the big rollercoasters. The one that I was most terrified of at the time was Raging Bull, one of the tallest, fastest, and longest steel coasters in the US. As we started to wait in line for the ride I was shaking with both anticipation and fear and began to rethink my idea to ride the rollercoaster. I decided to stay in line and see what many people thought was a great coaster.
The result and the final decision court will depend on the laws of that state. While a majority of states has chosen to institute a rule where they hold amusement ride operators and owners to the standard of ordinary care in operating their rides, a growing minority of states, including Illinois, hold those same operators to the duty of utmost care. The importance of a consistent standard for roller coasters is imperative to raising the expectation of safety, thereby preventing many of the accidents that occur every
Roller coasters are driven almost entirely by inertial, gravitational and centripetal forces. Amusement parks keep building faster and more complex roller coasters, but the fundamental principles at work remain the same.
Kids and adults enjoy Amusement Park rides because it is fun and relaxing. If you haven’t tried it, you should try it. The Amusement Parks have rides such as Xtreme Skyflyer, Gold Striker, and Superman roller coaster. I think the most important one is Xtreme Skyflyer because a lot of the people want to try it, and people want to see whole the things when they go very high. The Xtreme Skyflyer is also one of the scary, it 153 feet above ground and dive at speed up to 60 miles per hour while falling 17 stories toward the earth (Great America). This Xtreme Skyflyer is a release of endorphins, which makes us feel euphoric. Which is heightened by the fact that a lot of people feel scared and worried while waiting in line. So, by having you wait
Roller coasters come in all sizes and configurations. Roller coasters are designed to be intense machines that get the riders’ adrenaline pumping. Ever since my first roller coaster ride, I knew I was hooked. I cannot get enough of the thrilling sensation caused by these works of engineering. When people board these rides, they put their faith in the engineers who designed the rides and the people who maintain and operate the rides. In this paper, I will bring to your attention a specific instance when the operation of one of these coasters came into question and led to a very tragic incident. From this, I will look into the events leading up to the incident and evaluate the decisions made by the people involved.
On February 10, 2001, District of Columbia resident, 57 year-old Barbara Joyner’s life changed forever. That day, the retired duty nurse was a passenger on a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) bus. As a result of her decision to take a bus to get her to where she needed to go, she became permanently injured and her life was irrevocably changed. One might assume her injuries came as a result of a bus crash, since according to a 2010 study from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, there was an average of 63,000 buses were involved in crashes from 199 to 2005. In these accidents, there were 14,000 that caused injuries to the passengers of some kind. The study also found inter-city buses to have
According to the Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, "automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for those aged 3 to 33, with 43,005 (118 per day) Americans killed in 2002 alone" (Clayton, Helms, Simpson, 2006). Worldwide, vehicle accidents consist of 1.2 millions deaths per year, "behind only childhood infections and AIDS as cause of death amount people aged 5 to 30 years old" (Clayton., 2006). The annual cost of road accidents is estimated about $518 billion"(Factor, Yair, Mahalel, 2013). The fact alone of being in a moving, heavy vehicle is a danger in itself but individuals that do not wear their seat belts, talk on the phone, text, and do other distracting behavior also put themselves in even more harmful situations.
the length of the slope can be used to calculate the speed of the car
and are designed out of different materials like wood and steel. Although roller coasters are fun and exciting, the questions, what allows them to twist and turn, go up and down hills at a fairly good speed? Why do they not fall off of the track when it goes through a loop? The answer to these questions and others about roller coasters lies in the application of basic physics principals. These principals include potential and kinetic energy, gravity, velocity, projectile motion, centripetal acceleration, friction, and inertia.
“Even though roller coasters propel you through the air, shoot you through tunnels, and zip you down and around many hills and loops, they are quite safe and can prove to be a great way to get scared, feel that sinking feeling in your stomach, and still come out of it wanting to do it all over again (1).” Thanks to the manipulation of gravitational and centripetal forces humans have created one of the most exhilarating attractions. Even though new roller coasters are created continuously in the hope to create breathtaking and terrifying thrills, the fundamental principles of physics remain the same. A roller coaster consists of connected cars that move on tracks due to gravity and momentum. Believe it or not, an engine is not required for most of the ride. The only power source needed is used to get to the top first hill in order to obtain a powerful launch. Physics plays a huge part in the function of roller coasters. Gravity, potential and kinetic energy, centripetal forces, conservation of energy, friction, and acceleration are some of the concepts included.
Amusement parks are by far one of the most thrilling places on earth. As you wait in a long line to get in park, you can hear numerous kids, adults, and tourist shouting off the top of their lungs due to a tremendous jaw-dropping drop on their beloved roller coasters.
I have always been fascinated by carnival rides. It amazes me that average, ordinary people eagerly trade in the serenity of the ground for the chance to be tossed through the air like vegetables in a food processor. It amazes me that at some time in history someone thought that people would enjoy this, and that person invented what must have been the first of these terrifying machines. For me, it is precisely the thrill and excitement of having survived the ride that keeps me coming back for more.
It’s true what everyone talks about safety – you are the key to your safety, when you do it safely you do it the right way and the best gift you can give to your family is to always stay safe. We have been taught by our parents and teachers to be cautious while doing a number of things. That’s very essential in our daily lives, because one needs to be extra cautious to prevent unavoidable accidents. However, mishaps do happen everywhere in the safest of places, no matter how careful we are in our actions. It is highly unpredictable, what’s going to happen the very next instant. There are numerous incidences we come across like simple trips, falls, cuts due to sharp objects, burns or sudden worsening of a person’s health condition, causing