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Roller coasters have three totally different ways to stop. Eventually, even without brakes, the roller coaster would run out of momentum and stop. Two other forces, called friction and drag slow down a roller coaster. These two forces decrease kinetic energy. Friction tries to stop objects from moving when when one object slides over another. More friction occurs on rough surfaces than smooth. Inside machines, friction exists when things rub together. This drains other forces and slows things down. Drag is a special kind of friction which is caused by air. Airplanes have wings to reduce drag. Drag is a force that holds back moving objects. Friction and drag help slow a roller coaster. In addition to creating extra friction, roller coasters also have breaks. The brakes on a roller coaster are not like brakes on a car. Instead, they have a "break run" or a "skid". Near the end of a roller coaster ride, trains basically stop in the brake run. One of them, it’s skid, is located between running rails which are controlled by the ride operator or computer. The skid pushes up against brake pads to slow or stop the ride. Another stopping method is the "squeeze brake". The brake bars squeeze against brake fins under or on the sides of a car. In the event of a power-outage the coaster uses an emergency stop. |