Roller Coaster

Clickity, clackity. Clickity, clackity. The roller coaster car is going up, up, up to the highest spot. And at least one of the people in the car has never ridden on a roller coaster before . . . ever. Wheeeeeeee Get ready to experience the thrill of riding a coaster for the very first time in this vibrant new adventure from acclaimed picture book creator Marla Frazee.

Introduction -- The height requirement -- Secure your shoulder harness -- Fuel for the motor -- Filling your empty seats -- Riding in the front seat -- Picking up speed -- Hands in the air -- Smile for the camera -- Epilogue -- Final word -- Acknowledgements -- Additional resources.

In its fourth edition, this exhaustive guide to roller coasters in the United States and Canada also provides a history of coaster evolution (from the 16th century) and a look into the future of coaster technology and design. The book lists by state or province more than 700 coasters at more than 160 amusement and theme parks. Each entry includes contact information along with summaries of each coaster’s origins, features and history. There are six appendices: famous coaster designers, the longest wood and steel coasters in North America, a coaster census by state or province, a chronology of wooden roller coasters still in operation, interesting amusement park and coaster facts, and a guide to the alpine coasters at winter resorts in the U.S. and Canada.

In Roller Coasters, early fluent readers will learn how roller coasters are engineered to keep thrill seekers safe while giving them an exciting ride. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they explore the built world around them. An infographic illustrates the physics principles that make roller coasters work, and an activity offers kids an opportunity to extend discovery. Children can learn more about roller coasters using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Roller Coasters also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, a glossary, and an index. Roller Coasters is part of Jump!'s Amazing Structures series.

Recounts the history of roller coasters, and describes classic examples, from wooden rides to steel devices to enormous machines with drops of more than two or three hundred feet, and speculates about future developments.

Have you always wanted to learn more about how roller coasters work? I’m not talking about the basic “roller coasters use gravity!” descriptions you’re used to. I’m talking about learning in-depth about the nitty gritty engineering details, like: How do roller coaster engineers know what size motor is needed to pull the train to the top of the lift hill and how much will it cost to operate it? What material are the wheels made out of and how does it affect the performance of the ride? What is the difference between LIM and LSM propulsion? How does the control system on a racing or dueling coaster time up the near collision moments perfectly every single time? All of these questions and more are answered in the latest edition of Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design. “I thought it was great. It was a good first look at roller coaster design. It also gave great information and details about roller coasters in general.” - Adrina from Goodreads “Thanks for writing a very good book. I could not put it down. Lot's of great information. I am a technology and engineering teacher and the information I found here is very helpful in trying to get students more excited about engineering.” -Amazon reviewer

In this engaging title, young readers learn about different forms of energy! Different forms of energy such a potential and kinetic are explained, as are gravity, acceleration, velocity, g-forces, and centripetal force. These properties are illustrated by the design and operation of roller coasters. Colorful infographics make joules and shifting energy easily accessible, and prominent contributors such as LaMarcus Thompson are featured. A fun experiment with potential and kinetic energy brings the science of energy to life! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.