Case Study: The Ride Of Steel
Task 2
1. The maximum potential energy would be at the highest point of the coaster which is 61m at point A. The equation for potential energy is: PE=mgh. Throughout the trip, the mass and gravity are constant variables while height is a changeable variable. Therefore, if the height is increased then so is the potential energy.
The maximum kinetic energy is at B. This is because as the cars lose height, they speed up (v=d/t). Therefore, most of their original potential energy (due to the height) is transformed into kinetic energy (due to the velocity) while some of the energy is turned into heat energy due to friction. Because the rollercoaster has just begun, the coaster has not yet lost a lot of energy due to friction and therefore most of …show more content…
The Ride of Steel has many safety features to keep the passengers safe. In the initial climb up to point A, 12,000 moving parts make up the large gear and chain assembly that pulls the car to the top. There are over 40 sensors that monitor the climb so that if at any point a chain breaks, the sensors lock the car into place with magnetically controlled safety locks that stop the car in seconds.
To keep the car on the track, there are three wheels in the undercarriage of the car, essentially ‘gripping’ the car to the tracks. There is the wheel that sits on top of the track called the ‘load wheels’ which absorb the weight of the car and can absorb nearly 4 times the weight of an empty car. There are the guide wheels which are on the side of the track that keep the car centred as it shifts from side to side. And there are the upstop wheels which are situated underneath the track and keep the car gripped to the track during extreme manoeuvres.
There are also the brakes. Since the ‘Ride of Steel’ is a roller coaster that keeps a constant fast pace throughout the whole track, using normal brakes to suddenly stop the car would break the coaster. Therefore, the coaster has ‘copper thins’ fixed to either side of the train that can slide through strong magnets at the end of the ride. These magnets create a swirl of opposing currents, stopping the train in
1. The maximum potential energy would be at the highest point of the coaster which is 61m at point A. The equation for potential energy is: PE=mgh. Throughout the trip, the mass and gravity are constant variables while height is a changeable variable. Therefore, if the height is increased then so is the potential energy.
The maximum kinetic energy is at B. This is because as the cars lose height, they speed up (v=d/t). Therefore, most of their original potential energy (due to the height) is transformed into kinetic energy (due to the velocity) while some of the energy is turned into heat energy due to friction. Because the rollercoaster has just begun, the coaster has not yet lost a lot of energy due to friction and therefore most of …show more content…
The Ride of Steel has many safety features to keep the passengers safe. In the initial climb up to point A, 12,000 moving parts make up the large gear and chain assembly that pulls the car to the top. There are over 40 sensors that monitor the climb so that if at any point a chain breaks, the sensors lock the car into place with magnetically controlled safety locks that stop the car in seconds.
To keep the car on the track, there are three wheels in the undercarriage of the car, essentially ‘gripping’ the car to the tracks. There is the wheel that sits on top of the track called the ‘load wheels’ which absorb the weight of the car and can absorb nearly 4 times the weight of an empty car. There are the guide wheels which are on the side of the track that keep the car centred as it shifts from side to side. And there are the upstop wheels which are situated underneath the track and keep the car gripped to the track during extreme manoeuvres.
There are also the brakes. Since the ‘Ride of Steel’ is a roller coaster that keeps a constant fast pace throughout the whole track, using normal brakes to suddenly stop the car would break the coaster. Therefore, the coaster has ‘copper thins’ fixed to either side of the train that can slide through strong magnets at the end of the ride. These magnets create a swirl of opposing currents, stopping the train in