What powers a roller coaster?

Question

is there ever a type of fuel? If so, I want to know what type of fuel.

Answer 1

it depends what kind. most rollercoasters have a chain similar to a bike chain but much much stronger that pull you up the initial slope. this is called the lift hill. when you get to the top, gravity takes over. some use complicated pneumatics to launch you quickly at high speeds on a flat or tilted area. I hope i could help.

Answer 2

^this person is retarded is they're being serious lol

A coaster (wood or steel) is powered by the motorized lift hill. The lifts are mostly all chains but there are some that use a cable to bring it up faster at a steeper incline (see Millenium Force, El Toro). After the initial lift it's all gravity and the coaster's speed. Other coasters have launches which can either rely on hydraulics, magnetic propulsion, or tires (see Hulk). Launched coasters, after the initial launch rely on gravity as well (unless there's a second launch in the ride...see The Revenge of the Mummy, Batman & Robin: The Chiller). Launched coasters do need their own individual power source for the launch 2 work.

Kid's coasters sometimes are powered. The small coasters that you see at a carnival that are in an oval and seem to move at a controled speed are powered by a wire attached to the end of the train. Other powered coasters have a motor to control the tires underneath the train.

Besides that the only other thing that controls a coaster is the brakes at the end.

Answer 3

Depends on the coaster.

In the old days, a motor (powered by electricity generated by any number of fuels) would pull the car to the top of the largest hill. From there, potential energy/gravity is all that's powering the coaster. That's the reason that first hill has to be the tallest.

More modern coasters sometimes use other means, such as linear induction (the rapid switching on/off of magnets). Again, this is "powered" by electricity.

So, while it's possible that some older coasters were powered by steam (for example), you're basically looking at electricity in modern coasters. The source of the electricity is from coal plants, hydroelectric plants, nuclear plants, etc.

Answer 4

It's alllll physics. The only "work" done by the roller coaster would be during the first lift up the first hill. In wooden coasters, there would be a chain. In more modern coasters, there are hydraulics systems or magnetic systems to bring to train to the top. After all, all the work is performed by gravity and the conservation of energy, which basically means as a train goes down a hill, it has enough kinetic energy to bring the train up another hill and another hill and so on.

Answer 5

It's gravity, or it's magnetics. There are things called LIMs that charge some roller coasters up so they can go back and forth at high speeds. Add electricity, and magnets. Two magnetics pushed together create a force. Add electricity to that, and it greater. Test two magnetics that have the same charge (positive), and you will see how fast they want to get rid of each other (separate).

On a couple rides, they might have motors on the bottom of the car that propels the ride up the hill. One is a Shrawktopf Extended Jumbo Jet.

Other times, it's gravity. You have a high hill, and the train goes down to a low hill, it goes back up to lower hill than that originally high hill, and repeats. A chain brings it up the hill.

Answer 6

Roller Coasters work only by Gravity.... The only place where energy is supplied to it is when the coaster is pulled up during the first hill... After that, it purely works on Gravity and no other external force...

Answer 7

Just gravity. Most rollercoasters have that big incline (click, click, click...) at the beginning, and then it's all downhill from there. The force of the initial drop off pushes it all the way.

Answer 8

no there is this electric motor that powers the roller coaster. they have controls for people to make up speed. but some are on diesel and gas

Answer 9

Well, you see they have all these little hamsters strapped into harnesses and they run along on a little tiny track under the cars. Sometimes they use squirrels but they eat more and complain a lot.