Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep304: Roller Coaster Fun!

Transcript

Ep304: Roller Coaster Fun! · 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 open
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  wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts your day.
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  Fun and laughter come your way. Sports and trivia games galore.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we are riding into the world of roller coasters and
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  learning about record Breakers, the fastest, the tallest, the
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  longest, and more. We will also talk about how
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  these machines work and who builds them.
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  When you look at a roller coaster, you see tracks, a train
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  of cars, and a station. Most rides start with a lift
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  hill or a launch. A lift hill uses a chain or a
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  cable to pull the train up. A launch uses a system that
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  pushes the train very quickly. After that, gravity does the
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  rest. The train speeds down a drop,
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  builds momentum and uses that energy to climb the next hills
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  and travel through turns and loops.
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  Engineers design the track so the train has enough energy to
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  reach the end, where brakes slow it safely to a stop.
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  Let's talk about the fastest roller coaster.
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  The current speed record belongs to Formula Rosa at Ferrari World
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  Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
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  It can reach about 240 kilometers per hour, which is
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  around 149 mph. Riders wear goggles because of
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  the high speed wind. The launch uses a owerful
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  hydraulic system to accelerate the train in just a few seconds.
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  Now the tallest King Deka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New
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  Jersey holds that record. Its highest point is about 456
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  feet tall. The train launches very fast and
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  climbs straight up a tower, then dives down a huge drop of about
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  418 feet before making a tall hill and turning back to the
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  station. Standing near it, you can see
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  how massive the support structure is.
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  The longest roller coaster is Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima
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  Spa Land in Japan. It's track is about 2479 meters
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  long or 8133 feet. That means a very long ride with
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  many hills and turns. Long rides need strong lift
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  hills or fast launches so the train has enough energy to cover
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  the entire course. There is also a record for the
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  steepest drop. TMNT Shellraiser at Nickelodeon
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  Universe in New Jersey has a beyond vertical drop of about
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  121.5°. Beyond vertical means the track
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  tips inward pass straight down before curving out, giving an
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  extra intense first plunge. Some coasters break records for
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  special features. The number of times a ride turns
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  riders upside down is called inversions.
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  Engineers place loops, corkscrews and barrel rolls to
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  change direction while keeping the train secure on the track.
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  Other records include the most air time, which measures how
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  many seconds riders feel light during hills that rise and fall
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  quickly, and the tallest loop, which is a single giant upside
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  down circle. Manufacturers are the companies
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  that design and build these rides.
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  You might hear names like Anamine, Bolliger and the
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  Billiard often called B&M, the Coma Mac rides Jurislauer, Rocky
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  Mountain Construction and and Zamperla.
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  Each company has its own style. BNM is known for smooth, wide
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  track coasters like Fury 325 at Carowinds, which is 325 feet
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  tall and hits about 95 mph. Inamine is known for powerful
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  launches and tall structures, including records like Kingdeka.
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  Mack Rides builds launched coasters with multiple boosts,
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  and Jerslauer builds compact coasters with sharp drops like
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  that. Beyond vertical record, Rocky
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  Mountain Construction is known for creative track designs on
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  steel and wooden structures that twist tightly and give lots of
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  air time. Here is a quick timeline idea.
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  Classic wooden coasters from the early 1900s use layers of wood
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  for track and supports, producing bouncy rides with big
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  hills and turns. Later steel coasters allowed
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  smooth curves and upside down elements.
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  Today, parks mix both styles. There are pure steel coasters,
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  wooden coasters and hybrid coasters that can use steel
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  track on wood supports for strength and smoothness.
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  Safety is the most important part of any roller coaster.
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  Restraints like lap bars or over the shoulder harnesses lock in
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  place. Sensors watch where the train is
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  on the track. A system called block sections
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  splits the course into parts so only one train is allowed in
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  each part at a time. If one section is still busy,
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  the next train will wait at a break.
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  Maintenance teams check wheels, bolts and track every day.
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  Trains are weighed and test runs are done before guests ride.
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  Launch systems come in several types.
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  Hydraulic launches use fluid pressure and a cable to pull a
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  catch car that drags the train forward.
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  Linear motors use magnets to push or pull the train without
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  touching it. Chain lifts and cable lifts pull
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  the train uphill first, then let gravity take over.
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  Parks choose the system that fits their layout and the kind
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  of experience they want, whether it is a tall tower, a twisty
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  layout or a series of rolling hills.
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  Now it is time for a trivia moment.
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  Which roller coaster holds the world record for the most
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  inversions, meaning the most times riders go upside down on a
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  single ride? The Smiler at Alton Towers in
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  England has 14 inversions including Cobra rolls,
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  corkscrews and a vertical loop all packed into one layout.
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  Here is a yes or no question that might surprise you.
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  Are there roller coasters on cruise ships at sea?
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  Yes. Bolt on the Carnival, Mardi Gras
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  and some sister ships is a powered single rail coaster by
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  Mauer Rides. Riders sit on small two seat
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  cars that can adjust speed with a throttle as they circle the
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  top deck. Back to records you might see at
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  big parks. There are hyper coasters around
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  200 feet tall and giga coasters around 300 feet tall.
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  Fury 325 is a giga coaster. Hyper and giga rides focus on
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  big drops and speed rather than many inversions.
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  There are also spinning coasters where the cars rotate, wing
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  coasters where seats stick out on the sides of the track, and
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  dive coasters with wide trains and vertical holding drops.
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  Let's bring in a little science. When a coaster turns, you feel
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  forces push you into the seat or lift you.
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  During quick hills, designers measure these forces in G's.
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  Typical coasters keep positive G's in a safe range, so your
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  body feels pressed but comfortable.
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  During airtime, you might feel near weightless for a moment,
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  but restraints and seat shapes keep you secure.
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  Banking the track, which means tilting it in turns, spreads
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  forces across your body so the ride feels smooth.
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  Here comes another trivia question.
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  What was the first roller coaster to use tubular steel
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  track, which allowed smooth, twisty designs and future loops?
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  The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, opened in 1959 and
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  built by Arrow Development, was the first major tubular steel
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  coaster. It showed parks that steel track
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  could create new shapes and reliable support structures.
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  Yes or no Question. Do some roller coasters use
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  brakes that do not touch the train?
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  Yes. Many modern rides use magnetic
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  Eddy current brakes. Metal fins on the train pass
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  between magnets on the track. The magnetic fields create a
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  drag force that slows the train without contact, which means
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  less wear and reliable stopping even if the power goes out
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  because the magnets are permanent.
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  Another yes or no question. Do roller coaster trains use
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  three kinds of wheels at once, above the side and under the
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  rail to stay locked on the track?
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  Yes, Running wheels sit on top of the rail, guide wheels touch
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  the sides to center the train, and up stop wheels clamp under
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  the rail so the train cannot lift off during hills and
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  inversions. Did you know there are also
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  record-breaking wooden and hybrid coasters?
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  The Beast at King's Island in Ohio is known for being one of
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  the longest wooden coasters, with a very long layout through
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  the trees. Hybrid designs by companies like
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  Rocky Mountain Construction adds steel track to older wooden
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  supports, creating smooth rides with steep drops and twisting
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  elements that were not possible on classic wood tracks.
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  Another fun fact is about theming and terrain.
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  Some parks build coasters that dive into tunnels, skim over
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  water, or cross pathways so guests can watch trains fly by.
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  Using the Land's height, called terrain coasters, gives longer
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  drops without building taller structures.
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  Lighting and sound can add to the thrill, especially on indoor
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  coasters that control every detail of the environment.
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  Before we wrap up, here is one more quick challenge.
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  Can you guess which country has the most roller coasters
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  operating? The United States has the most
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  spread across many parks, with a wide variety from small family
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  coasters to record-breaking giants.
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  Let's recap what we learned today.
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  Roller coasters move by lifting or launching a train and then
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  using gravity and momentum to travel the track.
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  Formula Rosa is the fastest king, Dakar is the tallest and
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  has one of the largest drops, Steel Dragon 2000 is the
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  longest, and TMNT Shell Razor holds the steepest drop.
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  Manufacturers like Inamine, BNM, The Coma Mack rides, Durslauer,
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  Rocky Mountain Construction, S&S, and Zamperla design
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  coasters with different styles, from smooth giga coasters to
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  compact twisting layouts. Safety systems include secure
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  restraints, block sections, daily inspections, and reliable
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  braking. We also discovered extra facts.
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  The Smiler has the most inversions, the Matterhorn
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  bobsleds introduced tubular steel track, magnetic brakes can
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  slow trains without touching trains, use three types of
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  wheels to stay locked on, and there is even a coaster at sea
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  on a cruise ship. Thanks for listening and keep
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  your curiosity rolling on your next park visit.
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  Grab your breakfast, feelings fine adventures waiting.
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  Don't be late. Today's.
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  The day we.