The Physics Behind Rollarcoasters

Rollarcoasters are large rides that we enjoy in places like Wonderland but what are the physics behind such a device. What keeps these large rides moving? Well, since a rollarcoaster are moving objects they must also obey Newton's three laws among other things. If one looks at a rollarcoaster they should notice that they all seem to begin with climbing a large hill. Well thats because rollarcoasters make use of something known as kinetic energy and potential energy. Potential energy is energy stored inside an object that could potentially be used to move the object. By moving the rollarcoaster up the hill, one is giving it a large amount of potential energy which is quickly transformed into kinetic energy or the movement when it starts coming down. A number of factors are then used to try and maintain as much of the energy as possible and to keep it on track.