Roller coaster

A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements usually designed to produce a thrilling experience.

[1][2] Trains consist of open cars connected in a single line, and the rides are often found in theme parks around the world.

The oldest roller coasters are believed to have originated from the so-called "Russian Mountains"; John Collier Jones specially constructed hills of ice located in the area that is now Saint Petersburg, Russia.

[6] The Riding Mountain (aka La Grande Glisade) entertainment pavilion designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli for Tsarskoye Selo royal residence was built in 1754–1757.

[7] The Anglican clergyman John Glen King mentioned that some Englishmen visiting Russia called them "Flying Mountains" and described them as follows: You will observe that there are five mounts of unequal height: the first and the highest is full thirty feet (9 m) perpendicular altitude; the momentum with which they descend this carries them over the second, which is about five or six feet (1.5 or 1.8 m) lower, just sufficient to allow for the friction and resistance; and so on to the last, from which they are conveyed by a gentle descent, with nearly same velocity, over a piece of water into a little island.

The process is, two of four persons fit in a little carriage and one stands behind, for more there are in it the greater the swiftness with which it goes; it runs on castors and in grooves to keep it on its right direction, and it descends with a wonderful rapidity.

At the same place, there is another artificial mount which goes in a spiral line, and in my opinion, for I have tried it also, is very disagreable; as it seems always leaning on one side, and the person feels in danger of falling out of seat.

[11] The Promenades Aériennes, opened in Parc Beaujon in Paris on July 8, 1817[12] had wheeled cars securely locked to the track, guide rails to keep them on course, and higher speeds.

Using this idea as a basis, LaMarcus Adna Thompson began work on a gravity Switchback Railway that opened at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, in 1884.

[13] In 1885, Phillip Hinkle introduced the first full-circuit coaster with a lift hill, the Gravity Pleasure Road, which became the most popular attraction at Coney Island.

[18] Over the next decade, roller coasters spread to amusement parks around the world and began an era in the industry often referred to as the "Golden Age".

The onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, however, significantly impacted the amusement park industry and brought an end to the rapid growth experienced during the Golden Age.

[19] In 1959, Disneyland introduced a design breakthrough with Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first permanent roller coaster to use a tubular steel track.

A properly-designed, outdoor track will result in a train having enough kinetic energy to complete the entire course under a variety of stressful weather conditions.

A brake run at the end of the circuit is the most common method of stopping a roller coaster train as it returns to the station.

Some sources have shown concern over the ability of roller coasters to cause head trauma and serious injury such as the tearing of axons and damaging of blood vessels.

Multiple controllers work together to detect faults associated with operation and automate decisions to engage various elements (e.g. lift, brakes, etc.).

[30] Roller coaster design is another important aspect that requires a working knowledge of basic physics to enhance ride comfort and avoid harmful strain to the rider.

The human body needs sufficient time to react to sudden changes in force in order to control muscle tension and avoid harmful consequences such as whiplash.

Designers typically stay in the range of 4 to 6 g (40 to 60 m/s2) as a maximum for positive g-force acceleration, which increases the feeling of weight and pushes riders downward into their seat.

[32] Roller coasters are statistically very safe when compared to other activities, but despite all the safety measures in place, accidents still occur.

Also, "In a typical year, more than 385 million guests enjoyed in excess of 1.7 billion rides at approximately 400 North American fixed-site facilities".

Wooden coasters have flat steel tracks, and are typically renowned for producing "air time" through the use of negative g-forces when reaching the crest of some hill elements.

Newer types of track, such as I-Box and Topper introduced by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), improve the ride experience on wooden coasters, lower maintenance costs, and add the ability to invert riders.

A third classification type is often referred to as a hybrid roller coaster, which use a mixture of wood and steel elements for the track and structure.

Other ways of enhancing the experience involve removing the floor beneath passengers riding above the track, as featured in floorless roller coasters.

Following World War II, parks began pushing for more of them to be built in contrast to the height and age restrictions of standard designs at the time.

Moonsault Scramble, which debuted at Fuji-Q Highland in 1984, was the first to break this barrier, though the term hypercoaster was first coined by Cedar Point and Arrow Dynamics with the opening of Magnum XL-200 in 1989.

[48] The term was coined during the construction of the Millennium Force, a roller coaster built by Intamin on Cedar Point amusement park.

As with the other two height classifications, the term strata was first introduced by Cedar Point with the release of Top Thrill Dragster, a 420-foot-tall (130 m) roller coaster that opened in 2003.