Sidewinder+II-12


 * SideWinder:**



//**Sidewinder**// is a steel roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. While the coaster itself is a standard Vekoma Boomerang, this installation is notable because it was the first Vekoma Boomarang to use Vekoma trains (previous Boomarangs used Arrow trains). For the 2011 season, the Sidewinder's trains were replaced with Vekoma's modern trains. This ride was also the first coaster installed in the park in 14 years since the SooperDooperLooper in 1977. With a total of 3 loops in the ride's structure, and the fact that the ride operates in both directions, a single ride involves riders being turned upside down 6 times.

Ride Experience
The ride begins with riders being pulled backwards out of the station up a hill by a cable winch. At the top of the hill, the train is released, and speeds through the station and goes through the ride's three inversions, including a cobra roll and a vertical loop. The train goes up a second lift hill and, when it reaches the top, the lift disengages, and the train falls backwards through the inversions, pressing about 5 G's of force on riders (especially in the loop) before it returns to the station. It can be noted that due to the wear of the ride, riders will experience a very rough time as the train passes through the cobra roll forwards and backwards.

Height: 24 m from ground level Height of Coaster off Ground: 4.2 m
 * Analysis:**

The speed of the rain was found by measuring the length of the station and then timing how long it took for the train to travel from one end of the station to the other. Length of Station 66 ft. or 20.12 m Times: .94 sec. 1.00 sec 1.03 sec 1.03 sec; Average time= 1 sec Speed: 20.12 m/s

Radius of Loop: y=2.5r or r=.4y 24-4.2= 19.8 m 19.8*.4=7.92 m

Height of Loop: 7.92*2= 15.84 m

Speed of Cart Entering Loop: V=(5gr)^1/2 V=((5)(9.8)(7.92))^1/2=19.7 m/s

Speed at top of loop: V=(gr)^1/2 V=((9.8)(7.92)^1/2= 8.81 m/s

Centripetal Acceleration at Top of Loop: a=v^2/r a=8.81^2/7.92=9.8 m/s^2

Centripetal Force at Top of Loop: F=ma Mass of Train: 8260kg F=8260*9.8=80948.1 N

Conservation of Energy: PEi=KEf PE= zero at 4.2 m above ground. PE at top of Hill: PE=mgy PE=8260(9.8)(20.8)=1683718.4 N

KE through Station: KE=1/2mv^2 KE=1/2(8260)(20.12)^2=1671883.5N

PE: 1683718.4 N= KE: 1671883.5 N Percent Diff.= .7%

Coefficient of Friction: .005µ