"Imagineer That!" Starring The Muppets: Explore Roller Coaster Physics with Walt Disney Imagineering

With Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets now open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering’s latest Imagineer That! episode dives into the science that keeps riders safely in their seats while flipping around to Electric Mayhem.

3…2…1:

• Walt Disney Imagineering has released a new episode of Imagineer That! exploring the physics that make roller coasters possible.
• Inspired by the opening of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, the episode tackles a question many riders have asked: how does everything stay in place during inversions?
• Tom Morrow 2.0 is joined by Lips from The Electric Mayhem for a fun and educational look at the forces at work on a coaster.
• The episode explains how inertia and centripetal force combine to keep riders and loose objects moving with the train as it travels through loops.
• While inertia naturally wants to keep your body moving in a straight line, the coaster’s track provides the force needed to guide you through curves and upside-down sections.
• Maintaining speed is key, as these forces only work when the coaster is in motion.
• But don’t worry, Tom Morrow 2.0, some Muppet guest stars, and Imagineers keep this fun science lesson as entertaining as the attraction!
• Check it out below!

“Centripetal? I thought it was Centrifugal:” 

• Many coaster nerds out in the world often refer to the forces felt during changes in direction as centrifugal force. 
• While on a roller coaster, it may feel like there is a force pushing you down or throwing you up and out of your seat, it is purely the inertia resisting the change in direction. 
• Centrifugal force is classified as a fictitious force, as it is unobservable, but was created to describe motion in rotating reference frames, like experiencing centripetal force on a roller coaster!
• It is really amazing how much science goes into creating one of humanity's most fun inventions!

Read More Walt Disney World:

• Shaved Ice Alert: Morimoto Asia Launches Kakigori Kool Cart at Disney Springs 
• Walt Disney World Offering Special 2-Day, 2-Ticket Offer for EPCOT and Animal Kingdom 
• Get Your Game On: Level99 to Open at Disney Springs Later This Month