What is the Advantage of banking the Roller coaster Track?
Joel G asked:
This is refering to physics, circular motion
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This is refering to physics, circular motion
I don’t understand how banking the circular track has an advantage.
Could someone tell me why?
May 20th, 2009 at 6:25 am
A banked track does a couple of things, I think.
Probably the most important, is that the stresses it puts on the passengers are different than if it were on a flat plane. When it is banked, much of your momentum is toward the seat beneath you, rather than directly to the left or right. This is much more comfortable.
Second, it allows the roller coaster to go faster without putting as much stress on the connection between the coaster and the rails.
This works much the same way as the example above. Think of it this way.. instead of a roller-coaster car, imagine a large marble that rests on the rails. If the track is banked, the marble can roll much faster without coming off the rails. If it were completely flat, the marble would jump the track and fly when it reached the curve.
May 20th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
As the car goes around the track, the car (and the people in it) have 2 forces acting on them - gravity, which is pointing straight down, and a centrifugal force which is pointing outward. The resultant force is directed downward and outward at an angle, and if that angle ends up outside the car’s outside wheels, it will tend to tip over, causing a crash. Banking the turn allows the resultant force to be between the wheels, keeping the car on the track.
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:29 am
To balance out precisely the centrifugal force from non-linear motion and help keep the Roller coaster carraige on track.