Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep319: Roller Coasters: Loops, Drops, and G-Forces

Transcript

Ep319: Roller Coasters: Loops, Drops, and G-Forces · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, Let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come.
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  On. Kids, let's amplify kid cats.
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  Daily starts your day. Fun and laughter come your way.
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  Sports and trivia games galore. Greetings curious explorers,
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  This is Kick Ass Daily, your daily adventure through science,
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  sports, world history, cool inventions and everything in
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  between. Today we are strapping in for a
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  ride through the math of record-breaking roller coasters.
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  We will explore how loops, drops, and G forces work, and
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  why these machines can be both thrilling and safe.
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  By the end, you will be able to explain why a giant drop feels
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  like flying, how a loop keeps you in your seat, and what
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  designers measure to make sure you come back smiling.
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  Let's start with the biggest sight on a coaster.
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  The first hill that tall climb stores energy.
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  Engineers call it potential energy.
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  The higher the train goes, the more energy it has because of
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  its height. When the train drops, that
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  stored energy turns into motion, called kinetic energy.
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  This is why the first hill is usually the tallest.
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  It sets up the rest of the ride. A record-breaking coaster might
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  climb higher than a 40 story building and drop at speeds over
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  100 mph, for example. Some of the tallest coasters
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  reach around 456 feet and use a powerful launch to get to the
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  top. Others use a lift chain to
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  slowly pull the train up before releasing it down a long steep
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  track. Now let's talk about G forces
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  because they explain a lot of what you feel.
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  On Earth, you usually feel 1G. That is the force your body
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  feels from gravity when you're standing still on a coaster.
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  When you go over a hill or around a loop, the acceleration
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  changes. At the bottom of a big drop, you
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  feel pushed into your seat. That might be around 3 or 4G for
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  a brief moment. On some rides over the top of a
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  gentle hill, you might feel lighter, sometimes close to 0G
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  for a moment, which is called weightlessness.
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  Designers carefully plan the track so that G forces stay in
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  comfortable ranges and only happen for short periods.
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  Loops are next. If you draw a perfect circle and
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  try to drive through it fast, the forces would be too strong
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  at the bottom and too weak at the top.
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  That is why modern loops are not perfect circles.
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  They're shaped more like a stretched Oval called a clot Hoy
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  loop. This shape changes the curvature
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  so that forces stay smoother on your body.
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  At the top of the loop. The train is still held to the
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  track by a combination of speed and the shape of the loop, and
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  your restraint keeps you safely in place.
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  This is not magic, it is careful math and testing.
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  Engineers calculate how fast the train should go at every part of
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  the loop to keep G forces safe and steady.
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  Drops are about angle and speed. A 90° drop points straight down.
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  Some coasters are built with even steeper angles, called
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  beyond vertical drops, that tilt in more than 90°.
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  These give a surprising start to the ride.
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  The steepness, the smoothness of the track, and the length of the
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  drop all affect how fast you go at the bottom.
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  Air resistance and friction matter. 2 Coasters run faster
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  after warming up because the wheels and bearings move more
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  easily after several cycles. Speaking of wheels, roller
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  coaster trains hold the track in three ways.
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  There are main wheels that sit on top of the rail, side wheels
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  that guide the train through turns, and under wheels that hug
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  the rail from underneath so the train cannot lift off.
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  The track and supports are made from strong steel and sometimes
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  wood for wooden coasters. Wooden coasters use layers of
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  wood with steel running rails, giving a different ride feel.
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  Steel coasters allow very smooth curves, tight twists and high
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  loops, which is why the biggest loops and fastest launches are
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  almost always steel. You might wonder how a coaster
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  stops after racing so fast. Many use magnetic brakes made of
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  metal fins passing through magnets.
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  These brakes do not touch, so there is no rubbing and no
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  sparks. The magnets create a force that
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  slows the train down smoothly. Some coasters also have friction
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  brakes that clamp onto the fins at very low speeds to hold the
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  train still at the station. Trains are kept safely apart by
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  a block system. The track is divided into
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  sections. Only one train may be in each
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  section at once. If a section is not clear, the
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  next train will not enter it. Computers monitor sensors all
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  along the track to check speed and position.
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  Let's add some numbers to make the G force story clearer.
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  When a train dives into a valley at high speed, your body wants
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  to keep moving straight, but the track is turning you upward.
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  That change in direction creates acceleration.
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  At around 3G, you feel three times your normal weight.
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  For a moment, designers limit how long those high GS last.
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  Too much for too long would not be comfortable.
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  In loops and turns. The tracks radius matters.
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  A larger radius means a gentler turn and lower G's at a given
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  speed. A smaller radius means a tighter
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  turn with higher G's. That is why big fast coasters
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  use wide sweeping turns at the highest speeds and tighter
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  elements when the train has slowed down.
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  Now for some record-breaking facts.
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  The fastest roller coasters use launch systems to reach
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  incredible speeds quickly. Some use hydraulic launches that
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  pull a cable with great force to accelerate the train.
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  Others use linear motors that rely on magnetic fields to push
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  the train forward. The fastest rides in the world
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  go around 149 mph. The longest coasters stretch
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  over a mile and 1/2. Some rides also hold records for
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  the most inversions, with more than a dozen flips in one
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  layout. Designers test these layouts
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  many times on computers and with small models before building
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  life-size tracks. Time for a brain boosting trivia
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  moment. Which natural condition makes
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  many roller coasters run slightly faster later in the
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  day, especially in the afternoon?
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  The answer is warmer temperatures, which can reduce
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  friction in the wheel assemblies and soften lubricants, helping
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  trains roll a bit faster compared to cool mornings.
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  Here is a yes or no challenge. Are there roller coasters that
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  operate entirely indoors without any outdoor track?
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  Yes, several theme parks run indoor coasters inside large
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  buildings using lighting, sound and tight track layouts to
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  create a fast ride in a controlled environment.
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  Another fresh fact question what do engineers call the practice
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  track sections that safely test new elements before riders ever
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  board the train? They're called test sections or
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  mockups. Builders assemble parts of the
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  track and trains off site or in a maintenance area to measure
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  forces clearances and will contact before final
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  installation. Let's keep going and talk about
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  safety features. Built into trains, lap bars and
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  over the shoulder harnesses are designed to fit many body sizes.
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  They lock in multiple ways, often with both mechanical
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  ratchets and sensors that confirm the lock.
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  Operators check restraint indicators on panels before
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  dispatching a train. Track supports are set into deep
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  foundations, sometimes reaching bedrock, and engineers review
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  them regularly. Parks inspect wheels for wear,
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  measure bolt tightness and check sensors daily.
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  Now another yes or no. Do some roller coasters run
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  backward on purpose during part of the ride?
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  Yes, some coasters include sections where the train stops
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  and launches backward, or they use turntables to point the
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  train the other way for a surprise segment ready for a new
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  angle. Trivia fact?
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  What everyday object do some designers place along the track
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  to measure how close parts come during test runs?
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  They use soft clearance envelopes, often made of foam
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  blocks or flexible rods with markers.
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  If the foam rubs, they know to adjust the design so riders have
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  safe space around them. Back to the math behind loops
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  and drops. When engineers plan a big loop,
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  they set a target speed at the top so riders feel supported but
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  not squeezed. If the top speed is too low, the
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  train would rely too much on restraint pressure alone.
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  If it is too high, G forces at the bottom would rise too much.
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  The clodhoid shape helps balance this by slowly changing the
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  tightness from bottom to top. Computers simulate thousands of
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  runs with slightly different weights, temperatures and wind
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  speeds to make sure the ride stays within limits.
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  Did you know that paint color and smoothness also matter?
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  A smooth, clean rail reduces drag on the wheels.
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  Some parks repaint, track and trains for protection and to
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  reduce tiny bumps. Well, compounds are chosen for
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  the local climate because hot and cold conditions change how
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  rubber or polyurethane behaves. That is one reason the same
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  model of coaster can feel a little different in two places.
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  Here is one more trivia surprise.
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  What is the longest time a typical roller coaster spends
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  completely stopped at the top of a traditional lift hill, not
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  counting special effects, usually just a few seconds.
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  Trains Crest and release quickly because designers want to keep
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  lock sections moving and maintain safe.
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  Spacing let's. Wrap up with a quick recap.
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  The first hill or launch gives the train energy.
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  A big drop turns that stored energy into speed.
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  G forces explain the push into your seat or the light feeling
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  over a hill, and engineers limit those forces to keep rides
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  comfortable. Loops are shaped to manage
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  forces smoothly, not as perfect circles but as carefully
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  designed curves. Wheels grab the track from above
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  the side and below, keeping the train secure.
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  Magnetic and friction brakes work together to slow and stop
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  train safely. Records include incredible
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  heights, speeds near 149 mph, long tracks, and many
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  inversions. Testing sensors and strict
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  inspections make sure that the thrilling math of loops, drops,
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  and G forces stays safe for every rider.
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  Next time you see a giant track twisting across the sky, you'll
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  know the real numbers and design choices that make the ride work.
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  From the top of the first hill to the final break, Run, grab.
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  Your breakfast feelings, fine. Adventures waiting.
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  Don't be late. Today's the day we celebrate.