Reasons why a roller coaster is a parabola

[math_illiterate]

I need some reasons why a roller coaster is a parabola besides: shape, ascend and decend. Thanks so much.

 

[fasteddie65]

I don't believe that a roller coaster (actually the graph of its path) is a parabola. I have seen problems where it can be written as a sine curve, but not a parabola. I suppose if you were to look at one of the portions where it goes up then down, it could be considered parabolic, but I doubt it.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

I need some reasons why a roller coaster is a parabola besides: shape, ascend and decend. Thanks so much.

A parabolic hill is a particularly special kind of coaster hill. When the train goes over such a hill, it, and its riders, briefly undergo free fall. In this case, the train may literally not be touching the track at all. Because, neglecting air resistance, all bodies fall at the same rate (another fact known to Galileo), the riders will fall in synchronization with the train. No part of the train will exert any force on the rider; the only force involved is gravity. In a sense, the rider is actually flying, because he or she is taking the same path as if there were no train or track there at all.

do a google search - you'll find many sites with explanations.