What Is a Roller Coaster? Mechanics & Origins

Get ready for a stomach-turning, heart-pounding, gravity-defying thrill ride as we plummet down, up, and all around the amazing world of roller coasters! We're joined by legendary podcaster, YouTuber, and roller coaster fanatic Tom Scott who wows us with his encyclopedic knowledge of these engineering marvels. So take a deep breath, strap in, and keep all your limbs inside the ride until the episode comes to a complete stop! Oh, and have fun!

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[This, That, or the Other: All Downhill from Here]

https://www.goldreefcity.co.za/theme-park/rides-and-attractions/tower-of-terror/

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20170005323/downloads/20170005323.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7663089/

https://www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com/en/rides/formula-rossa/worlds-fastest-rollercoaster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8pJiV44hVM

https://www.iaapa.org/news/funworld/tmnt-shellraiser

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3281645/

https://www.powermotiontech.com/hydraulics/accumulators/article/21883506/want-thrills-go-with-hydraulics

[Trivia Question]

Annual deaths in roller coaster accidents in the United States

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1730261

https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-victims

https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/NEISSQuery/Data/Info%20Docs/2023%20NEISS%20Coding%20Manual.pdf

​​https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/2023-Fireworks-Annual-Report.pdf?VersionId=61twx_Y4c5dkn6MhfDIT7QhGg2T6Gf1q

https://www.uspa.org/discover/faqs/safety

[Fact Off]

Riding roller coasters can help reduce perception of breathlessness/dyspnea

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796706001653

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954611106003209

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1191/1479972306cd110ra?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

Riding in the back of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad can help dislodge kidney stones

[Ask the Science Couch]

Roller coaster stomach drop feeling and the enteric nervous system

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7495222/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/good-question-why-does-your-stomach-drop-on-a-roller-coaster/

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2020/may/roller-coaster-terminology-101

Patreon bonus: Motion sickness and relation to age

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539706/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906308/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11135238/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6241144/

[Butt One More Thing]

Dog-fart-themed steel roller coaster in Denmark’s BonBon-Land

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/624229/take-virtual-ride-hundeprutterutchebane-denmarks-infamous-dog-fart-rollercoaster

https://www.southzealand-mon.com/BonBon-Land

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