Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

A REALLY big roller coaster

As of April, 2004, the biggest roller coaster in the world was the Millennium Force at Cedar Point Park in Ohio. The first drop falls 305 feet at an 80-degree angle:


Image copyright Joe Schwartz and courtesy of www.rcdb.com

At the bottom of the drop, the track rises into a second hill of height 180 feet, which includes a 180-degree turn. The turn is very roughly half of a circle with a radius of about 150 feet.


Image copyright Mark Rehak and courtesy of www.rcdb.com

If we ignore friction and air resistance,

  1. how fast are riders going at the bottom of the first hill?
  2. how fast are riders going at the top of the second hill/turn?
  3. what is the lateral acceleration at the top of the second hill/turn?

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.