Have you ever thought about why would thrillingrides get you excited, make your heart racing oreven make you start screaming from the depths of your core, forminga bead of sweat on your forehead?
Well, the answer lies in physics. These rides demonstrateparticularly good examples of the physics laws and conceptsinvolved in nature and their effect on us in real-lifeapplications.
Height, weightlessness, high velocity, huge acceleration,centripetal force, impulse and the momentary change in momentum,the work being done and the change in energy, are all factorsthat contribute in making a thrilling ride an exciting one. Thosefactors cause adrenalin rush which leads to a higher bloodpressure thus stimulating the heart. They also put the riderin a lot of uncertainty and unexpected visual cues.
An example of a thrilling ride is the Giant Drop which isa free-fall ride involving the drawing of an eight seat carriage bya cable to the top of the tower. After one minute full of anxiety,the riders are plummeted down a height of 39 stories (almost 115m)then brought to rest within meters from the ground by asophisticated magnetic braking system.