How is mechanical energy involved in roller coasters?

A roller coaster ride is a thrilling experience which involves a wealth of physics. Part of the physics of a roller coaster is the physics of work and energy. The ride often begins as a chain and motor (or other mechanical device) exerts a force on the train of cars to lift the train to the top of a vary tall hill. read more

Roller coasters are a textbook example of gravitational potential and mechanical kinetic energy. At the bottom of a dip, all potential energy has been converted to mechanical kinetic energy (max [math]\frac{1}{2} m v^2[/math]). read more

Energy Transformation on a Roller Coaster. A roller coaster ride is a thrilling experience which involves a wealth of physics. Part of the physics of a roller coaster is the physics of work and energy. The ride often begins as a chain and motor (or other mechanical device) exerts a force on the train of cars to lift the train to the top of a vary tall hill. read more

The roller coaster in this interactive is a model. In real life, not all of the potential energy of the coaster cars is converted to kinetic energy and back again; some mechanical energy is converted to thermal energy. Describe how mechanical energy gets converted to thermal energy along the track. read more