WEBVTT - Where should I sit to get the best ride on a roller coaster?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstoff from house stuff works dot com where

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<v Speaker 1>smart happens. Hi'm our so brain with today's question, where

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<v Speaker 1>should I sit to get the best ride on a

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<v Speaker 1>roller coaster? If you've read how roller coasters work, then

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<v Speaker 1>you know about the basic principles of a roller coaster ride.

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<v Speaker 1>In its initial climb up the lift hill, a roller

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<v Speaker 1>coaster builds up a reservoir of potential energy for the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the ride. The hills, valleys, and loops convert

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<v Speaker 1>this supply from potential energy to kinetic energy and back again,

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<v Speaker 1>causing the train to accelerate and decelerate. This acceleration, along

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<v Speaker 1>with the up and down movement of the train, produces

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<v Speaker 1>a strange sensation in your body. You're constantly being pushed

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<v Speaker 1>in different directions. This sensation feels just like the pull

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<v Speaker 1>of gravity, and the two forces, gravity and acceleration, and

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<v Speaker 1>combine in interesting ways. When the force caused by acceleration

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<v Speaker 1>and the force caused by gravity are in opposite directions,

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<v Speaker 1>they cancel each other out to a certain degree, making

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<v Speaker 1>you feel very light. When both are in the same direction,

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<v Speaker 1>you feel very heavy. Rapidly switching between these two conditions

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<v Speaker 1>is what makes roller coasters such an accelerating experience. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>so if that's the situation, then what makes one coaster

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<v Speaker 1>car different from another. All of the cars travel over

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<v Speaker 1>the same tracks, so gravity accelerates and decelerates them at

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<v Speaker 1>roughly the same points. But in addition to feeling the

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<v Speaker 1>force of gravity, each car is also pulled or pushed

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<v Speaker 1>by the cars connected to it. It is this additional

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<v Speaker 1>force that makes the experience a little bit different for

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<v Speaker 1>the riders in each car. To understand how this works,

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<v Speaker 1>imagine a coaster train reaching the top of a hill.

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<v Speaker 1>As it ascends, it slows down because gravity is pulling

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<v Speaker 1>on it from behind. But when the first car makes

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<v Speaker 1>it over the apex, gravity starts pulling that car down

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<v Speaker 1>the other side of the hill. Because of gravity's pull,

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<v Speaker 1>the first car starts to accelerate, which accelerates the second car,

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<v Speaker 1>which accelerates the third car, and so on. In this way,

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<v Speaker 1>all of the rear cars are accelerated by the motion

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<v Speaker 1>of the first car, so they all start accelerating at

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<v Speaker 1>different points along the track. By the time the last

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<v Speaker 1>car moves over the hump, gravity has already accelerated the

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<v Speaker 1>first car a good bit. Consequently, the rear car will

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<v Speaker 1>have a higher acceleration at the top of the hill

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<v Speaker 1>than the first car did. This increased force essentially whips

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<v Speaker 1>the car over the top of the hill, briefly pushing

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<v Speaker 1>up on writers so they almost fly out of their seats.

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<v Speaker 1>For many people, this is the best spot on a

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<v Speaker 1>roller coaster throughout the ride because all the twists and

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<v Speaker 1>turns are more pronounced. But in most coast or you

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<v Speaker 1>can't see the track very well from the rear car.

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<v Speaker 1>Your line of sight is blocked by the people in

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<v Speaker 1>front of you. The visual component of a roller coaster

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<v Speaker 1>ride is important because it gives you a sense of

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<v Speaker 1>speed and peril. Coaster designers intentionally weave the track around

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<v Speaker 1>all sorts of obstacles to make you feel like the

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<v Speaker 1>ride is out of control. In a typical coaster design,

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<v Speaker 1>the riders in the front car get an unobstructed view

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<v Speaker 1>of all these obstacles whipping past them. In a coaster

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<v Speaker 1>that has seats facing backward, the rear car offers the

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<v Speaker 1>best of both worlds. You get a great view and

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<v Speaker 1>the most intense ride. The best seat on a coaster, then,

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<v Speaker 1>is a matter of personal taste. If you love the

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<v Speaker 1>feeling of weightlessness, Head for the back. If you want

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<v Speaker 1>the best view of the action, head for the front.

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<v Speaker 1>The cars in the middle provide the weakest ride, but

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<v Speaker 1>it's a good bet you'll still have a good time.

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<v Speaker 1>For moralness and thousands of other top visit how staff

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<v Speaker 1>works dot com.