What are the sections of a roller coaster called?

A roller coaster can be divided into segments, of different shapes, called elements. Elements range from simple airtime hills and helices to more advanced shapes, such as vertical loops and cobra rolls.



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Gravity, inertia, g-forces, and centripetal acceleration give riders constantly changing forces which create certain sensations as the coaster travels around the track.

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Students explore the physics exploited by engineers in designing today's roller coasters, including potential and kinetic energy, friction and gravity.

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Each wheel assembly typically consists of at least 3 wheels per assembly arranged in 3 positions: top, side, and under the rails, known as running wheels, side friction wheels, and up-stop wheels, respectively.

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By train type
  • Bobsled roller coaster.
  • Dive roller coaster.
  • Floorless roller coaster.
  • Flying roller coaster.
  • Fourth-dimension roller coaster.
  • Inverted roller coaster.
  • Mine train roller coaster.
  • Swinging mine train roller coaster.


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14 Fun Facts About Roller Coasters
  • The American roller coaster was invented to save America from Satan. ...
  • One of the earliest coasters in America carried coal before it carried thrill seekers. ...
  • “Russian mountains” predated roller coasters—and Catherine the Great improved them. ...
  • Roller coaster loops are never circular.


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A roller coaster ride comes to an end. Magnets on the train induce eddy currents in the braking fins, giving a smooth rise in braking force as the remaining kinetic energy is absorbed by the brakes and converted to thermal energy.

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For a roller coaster, gravity pulls down on the cars and its riders with a constant force, whether they move uphill, downhill, or through a loop. The rigid steel tracks, together with gravity, provide the centripetal force needed to keep the cars on the arching path as they move through the loop.

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Two of the most significant are friction and air resistance. As you ride a roller coaster, its wheels rub along the rails, creating heat as a result of friction. This friction slows the roller coaster gradually, as does the air that you fly through as you ride the ride.

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Basic mathematical subjects such as calculus help determine the height needed to allow the car to get up the next hill, the maximum speed, and the angles of ascent and descent. These calculations also help make sure that the roller coaster is safe. No doubt about it--math keeps you on track.

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Article Talk. A hypercoaster is either any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feet (61 m) or any complete-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop between 200 and 299 feet (61 and 91 meters).

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Air time has a strange effect on your body because your body is not completely solid — it is composed of many parts. When your body is accelerated, each part of your body accelerates individually. The seat pushes on your back, the muscles in your back push on some of your organs and those organs push on other organs.

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At the bottom of the loop, gravity and the change in direction of the passenger's inertia from a downward vertical direction to one that is horizontal push the passenger into the seat, causing the passenger to once again feel very heavy.

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It is impossible for the back of the train to exceed the speed of the front, because all of the cars are connected. However, the back may feel faster than the front at some points, due to the front pulling it. If the front is already going down a drop, than it is going to whip the back over the crest faster.

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