| Why do we
feel different on different parts of the loop? Those who have ridden roller coasters have likely noticed a sense of weight change while riding through a loop. This is simply caused by the forces acting on the rider--particularly acceleration and gravity. On the top of the loop, riders usually feel extremely light. This is because the gravitational force as well as the acceleration force pushing them towards their seats are almost equal, but in the opposite direction. (the acceleration force is obviously slightly stronger, however.) On the contrary, riders feel very heavy when exiting the loop. This is due to both the acceleration and gravitational forces pushing in the same direction--down on riders. |
| Roller coaster loops are something that most people never really think about because they are such common structures in modern-day time. But, a loop is indeed a very unnatural phenomenon. After all, it does bring riders to a completely upside down position in a matter of seconds. But how is it that these loops don't cause potential life-threatening problems to roller coaster riders? |
| Background photo found on
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/56/b0/22/56b022308212ba1b05fcc9bacaaf876f.jpg |
| Photo found on http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/roller-coaster-force.gif |
|
POTENTIAL ENERGY = KINETIC ENERGY (On the top of
the loop) |
| How do we
stay safe? It is common sense to figure that if someone were to hang upside down on a rope and then let go of the rope, they would fall to the ground. So why doesn't that happen when we are upside down on a roller coaster loop? Inertia is what keeps riders in their seats when they are head over heels. The loop prevents riders from continuing in their natural straight line of inertial velocity they they were previously riding in. This inertia pushes the riders into the cars to cause a sense of fake gravity when they're inverted. This along with the centripetal force inside the loop is what keeps them safe. |