1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstoff from house stuff works dot com where 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: smart happens. Hi'm our so brain with today's question, where 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: should I sit to get the best ride on a 4 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: roller coaster? If you've read how roller coasters work, then 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: you know about the basic principles of a roller coaster ride. 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: In its initial climb up the lift hill, a roller 7 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: coaster builds up a reservoir of potential energy for the 8 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: rest of the ride. The hills, valleys, and loops convert 9 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: this supply from potential energy to kinetic energy and back again, 10 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: causing the train to accelerate and decelerate. This acceleration, along 11 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: with the up and down movement of the train, produces 12 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 1: a strange sensation in your body. You're constantly being pushed 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: in different directions. This sensation feels just like the pull 14 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: of gravity, and the two forces, gravity and acceleration, and 15 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: combine in interesting ways. When the force caused by acceleration 16 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: and the force caused by gravity are in opposite directions, 17 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: they cancel each other out to a certain degree, making 18 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: you feel very light. When both are in the same direction, 19 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: you feel very heavy. Rapidly switching between these two conditions 20 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: is what makes roller coasters such an accelerating experience. Okay, 21 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: so if that's the situation, then what makes one coaster 22 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: car different from another. All of the cars travel over 23 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: the same tracks, so gravity accelerates and decelerates them at 24 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: roughly the same points. But in addition to feeling the 25 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: force of gravity, each car is also pulled or pushed 26 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: by the cars connected to it. It is this additional 27 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: force that makes the experience a little bit different for 28 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: the riders in each car. To understand how this works, 29 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: imagine a coaster train reaching the top of a hill. 30 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: As it ascends, it slows down because gravity is pulling 31 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: on it from behind. But when the first car makes 32 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: it over the apex, gravity starts pulling that car down 33 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: the other side of the hill. Because of gravity's pull, 34 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: the first car starts to accelerate, which accelerates the second car, 35 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: which accelerates the third car, and so on. In this way, 36 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,959 Speaker 1: all of the rear cars are accelerated by the motion 37 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: of the first car, so they all start accelerating at 38 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: different points along the track. By the time the last 39 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: car moves over the hump, gravity has already accelerated the 40 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: first car a good bit. Consequently, the rear car will 41 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: have a higher acceleration at the top of the hill 42 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: than the first car did. This increased force essentially whips 43 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: the car over the top of the hill, briefly pushing 44 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: up on writers so they almost fly out of their seats. 45 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: For many people, this is the best spot on a 46 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: roller coaster throughout the ride because all the twists and 47 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: turns are more pronounced. But in most coast or you 48 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: can't see the track very well from the rear car. 49 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: Your line of sight is blocked by the people in 50 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: front of you. The visual component of a roller coaster 51 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: ride is important because it gives you a sense of 52 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: speed and peril. Coaster designers intentionally weave the track around 53 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: all sorts of obstacles to make you feel like the 54 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 1: ride is out of control. In a typical coaster design, 55 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: the riders in the front car get an unobstructed view 56 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: of all these obstacles whipping past them. In a coaster 57 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: that has seats facing backward, the rear car offers the 58 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: best of both worlds. You get a great view and 59 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: the most intense ride. The best seat on a coaster, then, 60 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: is a matter of personal taste. If you love the 61 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: feeling of weightlessness, Head for the back. If you want 62 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: the best view of the action, head for the front. 63 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: The cars in the middle provide the weakest ride, but 64 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: it's a good bet you'll still have a good time. 65 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: For moralness and thousands of other top visit how staff 66 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: works dot com.