Why do you have to cross your arms on a water slide?

With arms flailing around they tend to catch or snag on things and injure the hands and arms terribly. Better to get to the bottom of the slide and be able to help others than get there with a broken arm. Crossing your arms reduces the chance of friction against the sides of the slides.



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Slide must be ridden feet first lying on your back or in a sitting position (sit up to go slower, lie down to go faster).

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Gravity pulls the rider toward the Earth, helping to speed up their trip down the waterslide. Of course, friction also plays a part. Whether a person rides down the slide on their backs, a mat, or an intertube, the contact causes friction. This can slow the rider down.

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Keep small children off big slides The taller the waterslide, the greater the danger of a fall. Children can squeeze through barriers or stairwells, putting them at risk of getting into places they shouldn't be.

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But traveling down a water slide allows you to feel like you are flying down at a much higher pace. Physicists say that this is because water on a slide helps create a frictionless surface – the less friction is involved, the faster you can go, and the smoother your ride feels.

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But speed alone isn't what makes a ride exciting. Consider this: On the average waterslide, riders splash along at 20 to 30 miles per hour. But the average airplane flies 600 miles per hour.

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These slides are actually more dangerous than roller coasters. Research conducted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs found that revelers are twice as likely to get injured on a water slide than a roller coaster.

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4 November 1993: China Airlines Flight 605, a Boeing 747-409, ended up in water after it overran runway 13 at Kai Tak International Airport on landing during a typhoon with wind gusting to gale force. All of the 396 occupants donned life-vests, boarded the eight slide/rafts and no fatalities resulted.

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Height: 164 feet / 49 meters Kilimanjaro is the current “world's tallest water slide.” The slide holds the record for the highest drop height on a body slide.

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