If you like roller coasters, strap in and stay tuned. We’re going to take a ride today on Engineering Works.
Some people are roller coaster people. They really like riding roller coasters: taller, steeper, faster. The more they scream, the better they like it.
These happy screams don’t happen by accident. Engineers design every one of them. Every time you swoop through the intricate turns, death-defying drops and loop-the-loops, you’re living the engineers’ dream. They measure success in how loud you scream.
For those of you who grew up on the thrills of Six Flags and Disney World, it’s a downer, but this is not a new idea. Space Mountain’s great-great-great grandfather appeared almost five-hundred years ago, in Russia. American scream-seekers got their first chance in 1827 in Mauch Chunk — that’s right, Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania.
Since then, coasters have gotten faster, bigger and higher, and engineers have to pay more attention to the physics behind their designs. The faster a coaster goes, the more room the engineer needs to leave for turns. But height and speed aren’t the only factors the coaster designer has to consider. So-called â€œheartlineâ€? coasters are designed to put the geometric center of the ride’s tight spirals near riders’ hearts to reduce your risk of blacking out.
So the next time you’re standing in line to do the dips, drops, loops and backward 180-degree turns, thank an engineer for your thrills. We will wait for you here.