Rollercoasters are Fun

Mostly, people don't really care about the physics of rollercoasters or how they work. They just enjoy going on them because they're FUN! :) However, being the curious student that I am hehehe... I am interested in how they work.

That guy has the BEST reaction EVER!

Believe it or not, rollercoasters do not have engines to propel them at the exhilerating speeds they go at. Instead, they are brought up by a track to the highest point of the coaster. At the top, they are released and for the rest of the ride, they are just released and left to travel on the power of gravity. In other words, when the coasters are being brought up, they obtain potential energy. The potential energy is then converted into kinetic energy on the way down. Sounds familiar? This concept is the Law of Conservation Energy. For rollercoasters to continuously move, the altitude has to continuously drop.

To answer the question of my favourite rollercoaster, the one that I've been on that I like the most is probably the SkyRider at Wonderland. I don't even know why, but it just felt the most fun. It isn't the fastest rollercoaster, the tallest one, but for some reason, I like it the most. Also, in my opinion, the faster the rollercoaster... the better it is!! WEEEEEEEE