Disney has dipped back into its video archives for a look at how the engineering behind the popular Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster attraction works. There’s a lot of science behind the magic, but Disney’s Mechanical Engineers Angel and Josh break it down into easy to understand concepts.
Located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is one of Disney’s fastest coasters. In just a few seconds, the car accelerates to 57 mph and sends guests on their adventure through the streets of Hollywood on the way to an Aerosmith concert.
Angel and Josh step out from their usual behind-the-scenes roles at Disney and put their math, science, and engineering skills on display to break down this lesson in how magnets are used to help propel the coaster car to extreme speeds.
Learn about the Science of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in this video with Angel and Josh:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith opened July 29, 1999. It’s one of Disney’s most extreme coasters with riders experiencing up to 5 G’s as they travel through three distinct inversions: a half-vertical loop, half-corkscrew, and a sea serpent roll.
For those of you who are home schooling and want a great STEM focused project, Disney has provided a handy flyer with instructions on how you can use to build a replica of the LSM launch experience of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at home. It’s likely you already have all the materials you need at home.
If you try this project at home and think you have an aspiring Imagineer, be sure to check out the free “Imagineering in a Box” online course.