The Physics Of The Tower Of Terror Two
Abstract
Dreamworld, located in the Gold Coast, Australia, draws in hundreds of visitors everyday due to its extreme thrill rides and various attractions. Multiple thrill rides at the park have been researched and experimented upon, to evaluate the physics of the ride. The Tower of Terror II is one of the rides that has been looked upon and tested on. The Tower of Terror II is an L-shaped ride, the ride consists of a 6000kg cart (7000kg with the maximum 14 passengers) that travels horizontally across a track raised four metres above the ground until it travels vertically up a tower measuring 119 metres, it then enters a state of free-fall and returns to the starting position. The cart reaches speeds of 161km/hr (44.72m/s) in around seven seconds …show more content…
when it travels horizontally across the 200 metre long track. The purpose of these tests was to find out the physics of the rides, in particular, the Tower of Terror II, and find a way to safely improve the ride to provide more thrill for the riders.
Applicable Physics
Figure 1.1
(Source: seniorphysics.com/physics/)
The Tower of Terror II features a variety of different physical forces throughout that act upon the rider to enhance thrills including linear motion, circular motion, g-force, and free-fall.
The 6000kg cart starts from rest (Point A); the cart begins to be moved by electromagnetics that emit 2,200,000 Watts. By the 10 metre mark, the cart has already reached its maximum speed of 44.72 m/s, due to it being accelerated by 36.66m/s (Figure 2.1). The cart is then propelled at a constant speed for a total of 200 metres (Point B); the cart is then left on its own as it enters the curve of the track. The curve has a radius of 100 metres, which becomes slowly tighter, by point C; the curve has a radius of 50 metres. At point C, riders experience 4.5g. The cart then gradually slows until it completely stops at Point D, 12 seconds has elapsed at this point of the ride. The cart then enters free-fall and is accelerated by gravity, the force acting up upon the cart at this point is 58, 860 N (Figure 2.2). Twelve seconds of time elapsed in the time it takes the cart to roll back to the beginning of the …show more content…
track.
Calculations:
Figure 2.1 – Acceleration of Cart at 10 metres w=f x d f=w÷d f=2,200,000÷10 f=220,000 N
f=ma a=f/m a=(220,000)/6000 a=36.66 m/s Figure 2.2 – Force of Cart when in free-fall f=ma f=6000 x 9.81 f=58,860 N
Parameter Effects
Changing the design parameters of a ride, especially one as large as the Tower of Terror II, can have deadly effects on the riders and also cause failure in the ride itself. Increasing the speed of the ride by too could cause the ride to create too much force for the riders to handle, but decreasing the speed could cause the riders too not experience enough thrill. Increasing the height of the Terror of Terror II would help to increase the thrill of the ride. Increasing the height from 115m to 165m, would not only increase the vertical distance that the cart travels, but would also require the initial speed of the cart to be increased, for it to make it the full distance up the tower. In the current Tower of Terror model, the cart travels at 44.72m/s before it enters the upward ramp and travels vertically 115m.
Figure 3.1 – Acceleration of Cart by Point B (Figure 1) w=f x d f=w÷d f=2,200,000÷200 f=11,000 N
f=ma a=f/m a=(11,000)/6000 a=1.83 m/s
As shown in the above calculations, when the cart enters the ramp the cart needs to be accelerating by 1.83m/s as well as have a velocity of 44.72m/s to reach the distance of 115 metres.
Figure 3.2 – Acceleration required to reach 165m w=f x d f=w÷d f=3,000,000÷200 f=15,000 N f=ma a=f/m a=(15,000)/6000 a=2.5 m/s v^2=u^2+2as u=√(v^2-2as) u=√(0-2(2.5)(165) ) u=√825 u=28.7m/s s=(v^2-u^2)/2a s=(0^2-〖28.7〗^2)/2(2.5) s=164.75m
As shown in the above calculations, if the electromagnets of the Tower of Terror II were raised to 3,000,000 Watts instead of 2,200,000 it would allow the Tower of Terror II to reach the height of 165 metres.
Increasing the work of the magnets to 3,000,000 Watts increases the force of the cart to 15,000 Newtons. The force of the cart being 15,000 Newtons allows the cart to reach and acceleration of 2.5m/s, instead of 1.8m/s. This increase in acceleration leaves the cart travelling at a faster velocity than the previous version of the ride. This faster velocity causes the cart to travel up to a maximum height of 164.75 metres instead of the previous 115 metres.
Conclusion
Adjusting the Watts of the Electromagnets on the Tower of Terror II to 3,000,000, allows the cart to travel much higher vertically, as well as increase the speed. Increasing the Watts makes the cart travel 50m higher up the tower. Adding in this increase of height will improve the thrill of the ride overall. This increase in thrill is caused by the amount of extra time that will be spent in the air due to the extra height.
References Dreamworld.com.au, (2014). The Tower of Terror 2 | Thrill Rides at Dreamworld Theme Park |. [Online] Available at: http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Rides/Thrill-Rides/The-Tower-of-Terror-2.aspx?tileid=633941400668840000 [Accessed 20 Aug.
2014].
Seniorphysics.com, (2014). [Online] Available at: http://seniorphysics.com/physics/tower_letterheights.doc [Accessed 20 Aug. 2014].
Dreamworld, located in the Gold Coast, Australia, draws in hundreds of visitors everyday due to its extreme thrill rides and various attractions. Multiple thrill rides at the park have been researched and experimented upon, to evaluate the physics of the ride. The Tower of Terror II is one of the rides that has been looked upon and tested on. The Tower of Terror II is an L-shaped ride, the ride consists of a 6000kg cart (7000kg with the maximum 14 passengers) that travels horizontally across a track raised four metres above the ground until it travels vertically up a tower measuring 119 metres, it then enters a state of free-fall and returns to the starting position. The cart reaches speeds of 161km/hr (44.72m/s) in around seven seconds …show more content…
when it travels horizontally across the 200 metre long track. The purpose of these tests was to find out the physics of the rides, in particular, the Tower of Terror II, and find a way to safely improve the ride to provide more thrill for the riders.
Applicable Physics
Figure 1.1
(Source: seniorphysics.com/physics/)
The Tower of Terror II features a variety of different physical forces throughout that act upon the rider to enhance thrills including linear motion, circular motion, g-force, and free-fall.
The 6000kg cart starts from rest (Point A); the cart begins to be moved by electromagnetics that emit 2,200,000 Watts. By the 10 metre mark, the cart has already reached its maximum speed of 44.72 m/s, due to it being accelerated by 36.66m/s (Figure 2.1). The cart is then propelled at a constant speed for a total of 200 metres (Point B); the cart is then left on its own as it enters the curve of the track. The curve has a radius of 100 metres, which becomes slowly tighter, by point C; the curve has a radius of 50 metres. At point C, riders experience 4.5g. The cart then gradually slows until it completely stops at Point D, 12 seconds has elapsed at this point of the ride. The cart then enters free-fall and is accelerated by gravity, the force acting up upon the cart at this point is 58, 860 N (Figure 2.2). Twelve seconds of time elapsed in the time it takes the cart to roll back to the beginning of the …show more content…
track.
Calculations:
Figure 2.1 – Acceleration of Cart at 10 metres w=f x d f=w÷d f=2,200,000÷10 f=220,000 N
f=ma a=f/m a=(220,000)/6000 a=36.66 m/s Figure 2.2 – Force of Cart when in free-fall f=ma f=6000 x 9.81 f=58,860 N
Parameter Effects
Changing the design parameters of a ride, especially one as large as the Tower of Terror II, can have deadly effects on the riders and also cause failure in the ride itself. Increasing the speed of the ride by too could cause the ride to create too much force for the riders to handle, but decreasing the speed could cause the riders too not experience enough thrill. Increasing the height of the Terror of Terror II would help to increase the thrill of the ride. Increasing the height from 115m to 165m, would not only increase the vertical distance that the cart travels, but would also require the initial speed of the cart to be increased, for it to make it the full distance up the tower. In the current Tower of Terror model, the cart travels at 44.72m/s before it enters the upward ramp and travels vertically 115m.
Figure 3.1 – Acceleration of Cart by Point B (Figure 1) w=f x d f=w÷d f=2,200,000÷200 f=11,000 N
f=ma a=f/m a=(11,000)/6000 a=1.83 m/s
As shown in the above calculations, when the cart enters the ramp the cart needs to be accelerating by 1.83m/s as well as have a velocity of 44.72m/s to reach the distance of 115 metres.
Figure 3.2 – Acceleration required to reach 165m w=f x d f=w÷d f=3,000,000÷200 f=15,000 N f=ma a=f/m a=(15,000)/6000 a=2.5 m/s v^2=u^2+2as u=√(v^2-2as) u=√(0-2(2.5)(165) ) u=√825 u=28.7m/s s=(v^2-u^2)/2a s=(0^2-〖28.7〗^2)/2(2.5) s=164.75m
As shown in the above calculations, if the electromagnets of the Tower of Terror II were raised to 3,000,000 Watts instead of 2,200,000 it would allow the Tower of Terror II to reach the height of 165 metres.
Increasing the work of the magnets to 3,000,000 Watts increases the force of the cart to 15,000 Newtons. The force of the cart being 15,000 Newtons allows the cart to reach and acceleration of 2.5m/s, instead of 1.8m/s. This increase in acceleration leaves the cart travelling at a faster velocity than the previous version of the ride. This faster velocity causes the cart to travel up to a maximum height of 164.75 metres instead of the previous 115 metres.
Conclusion
Adjusting the Watts of the Electromagnets on the Tower of Terror II to 3,000,000, allows the cart to travel much higher vertically, as well as increase the speed. Increasing the Watts makes the cart travel 50m higher up the tower. Adding in this increase of height will improve the thrill of the ride overall. This increase in thrill is caused by the amount of extra time that will be spent in the air due to the extra height.
References Dreamworld.com.au, (2014). The Tower of Terror 2 | Thrill Rides at Dreamworld Theme Park |. [Online] Available at: http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Rides/Thrill-Rides/The-Tower-of-Terror-2.aspx?tileid=633941400668840000 [Accessed 20 Aug.
2014].
Seniorphysics.com, (2014). [Online] Available at: http://seniorphysics.com/physics/tower_letterheights.doc [Accessed 20 Aug. 2014].