What are two things that cause the roller coaster to decrease in speed as it travels?

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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The maximum speed of a roller coaster is determined by the height at which the train is released or the energy input into the system via a launch, but there are additional factors that determine how far it will roll before stopping.

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The force of gravity pulling a roller coaster down hill causes the roller coaster to go faster and faster, it is accelerating. The force of gravity causes a roller coaster to go slower and slower when it climbs a hill, the roller coaster is decelerating or going slower.

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Because of friction between the coaster cars and the track, along with air resistance as the cars move forward at high speed, the amount of mechanical energy available decreases throughout the ride.

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Friction is a force that opposes (goes against or opposite to) the motion of an object. If the roller coaster cars are moving to the east, the force of friction is to the west. The force of friction acts on the moving cars, decreasing the total amount of mechanical energy in the roller coaster.

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A roller coaster does not have an engine to generate energy. The climb up the first hill is accomplished by a lift or cable that pulls the train up. This builds up a supply of potential energy that will be used to go down the hill as the train is pulled by gravity.

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The force of friction acts on the moving cars, decreasing the total amount of mechanical energy in the system. The mechanical energy is not lost, however. It is transformed into thermal energy, which can be detected as an increase in the temperature of the roller coaster's track and car wheels.

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The force of gravity will cause it to speed up as it moves down the hill. Because there is no friction between Points A and C, the energy of the rollercoaster remains constant over that portion of the motion.

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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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In roller coasters, the two forms of energy that are most important are gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy. Gravitational potential energy is the energy that an object has because of its height and is equal to the object's mass multiplied by its height multiplied by the gravitational constant (PE = mgh).

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06 September 22 - 5 Interesting Facts About Roller Coasters
  • The First Roller Coaster was Built in 1817. ...
  • Britain's Oldest Surviving Roller Coaster was Built in 1920. ...
  • There are More Than 2,400 Roller Coasters in the World Today. ...
  • Roller Coaster are Among the Safest Rides. ...
  • Roller Coaster Loops are Never Perfectly Circular.


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