Speed-WOW

This ride is going to be unbelievably fast. Going from 0-120 mph in only 4 seconds. They better have a way of letting people know when it's going to take off, or, they're going to have a lot of people getting sick from the fast acceleration.

Well, they have the traffic light, safetey precautions, and most people have common sense. Have you not yet realized that a coaster that launches you 420 feet in the air is going to be really really fast?

I know it will be fast. My concern is with the take off. If they'll have a light to let you know, that will help.

They do, look at the drawing, the POVs, everything else will tell you that.

Bill Spehn said they'd pull up to the launching area and "receive final instructions". I bet they're either going to have a ride op sitting there or an auto-spiel.

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Brent Haley
Gemini Crew '02
2003 - ???

My guess is a recording of the safety precautions. They do that with Millennium Force, they do it with Wicked Twister, I'm sure they'll do it with Top Thrill Dragster.

I'd have to say I love those ride ops on CCMR. They say the funniest things. One time the guy gave out all the measurements in milimeters, another time the guy said, "You will go up to a height of seven fathoms! If you do not know what a fathom is, please go to your nearest library." Then the kid behind me said, "Is that the place with the books?" Another time the ride op said, "Now please keep you heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes inside the ride at all times."

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Cedar Point 2003, where no roller coaster rider has gone before

Haha Top Thrill Dragster,

That's why CP is the best. It's the people. Also, the ride will have checkered flags at the end. I love the theme to this ride. Thank you CP!

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Oh yeah, if there's bugs on your shirt, you had a good ride.

Thank you Jeff for your work to make and run this site!

Top Thrill Dragster said:
Well, they have the traffic light, safetey precautions, and most people have common sense. Have you not yet realized that a coaster that launches you 420 feet in the air is going to be really really fast?

everyone should have some form of surprise and danger in their life. what's the point of fun if you know there's no risk? it would be boring. i'm hoping for a "launch in 3....2...(launch)....1....go!".

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Got One?? Yeah, it's a metallica thing.
Love ya tiffers, always will.
TMG -- 5.29.82-02.02.02

I completely agree with that. But the problem is that this is that the take-off is so fast that your head would snap back. That's one of the great things about WT though, the surprise. BTW, how fast does WT launch off from the first time? I think I heard somewhere that it's 40 mph. If Dragster gets you to 120 in 4 seconds, then it would mean 30 mph/s squared, meaning it will launch you at 30 mph. Maybe it's not so bad after all.

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Cedar Point 2003, where no roller coaster rider has gone before

Well I am sure it will be safer than riding in a real top fuel dragster that launches you from 0 to over 300mph in 5 seconds.

Top Thrill Dragster said:
I completely agree with that. But the problem is that this is that the take-off is so fast that your head would snap back. That's one of the great things about WT though, the surprise. BTW, how fast does WT launch off from the first time? I think I heard somewhere that it's 40 mph. If Dragster gets you to 120 in 4 seconds, then it would mean 30 mph/s squared, meaning it will launch you at 30 mph. Maybe it's not so bad after all.
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Cedar Point 2003, where no roller coaster rider has gone before

It'll be worse. Hypersonic goes 44 miles per second and TTD goes 40 miles per second. TRUST ME, Hypersonic is FAST.

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Love,
The Mole

Miles per second? I think your math is flawed.

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2003 - Ride Operations

No, really, miles per second. BTW, it's an average. Hypersonic goes 80 in 1.8 seconds (44 mps) and Dragster goes 120 in approx 3 seconds (40 mps).

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Love,
The Mole

No dude, you're thinking of 40 miles per hour per second. 40 mps is 2400 mph. That's fast!

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Cedar Point 2003, where no roller coaster rider has gone before

Sorry, yeah, it's 40 mph per second. That's still fast (although 40 mps you can go back in time probably)

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Love,
The Mole

Actually, TTD won't launch at 30-40 mphps, as you have to remember you'll be accelerating faster and faster, rather than at a constant rate, so:

Considering a rate of acceleration as 2v, v being the current velocity,

1 sec: 8 mphps

2 secs: 24 mphps

3 secs: 56 mphps

4 secs: 120 mphps

Course, I'm just in Freshmen Physics, so anyone able to find a flaw in my math is more than likely correct :-)

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"Thank you for riding Millenium Force, and please enjoy the rest of your day here at Cedar Point, America's Rockin' Roller Coast!"

I took fizyx as a freshman too, and I think you're talking about dropping @ 9 m/s/s. This won't gain acceleration, this will gain speed. It's not gonna have a gap bigger than the one before it. Therefore after 1 second you will be going 30, after two 60, after three 90, and after four 120.

I think I said that before.

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Cedar Point 2003, where no roller coaster rider has gone before

I'm sorry, but that's simply not how acceleration works. RollerCoast2319 has the right idea.

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What is most anticipated event of 2003? the debut of # 16, the release of Metallica's new album, the release of Terminator 3, or the release of Matrix:Reloaded...tough call.

I think we should leave the physics to Intamin, we should just enjoy the ride. Afer all, acceleration is just a = DV/Dt = (V2 - V1) / (t2 - t1). Yay polymer engineering classes!!

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Matt - '02 WT crew
Guest- "Are the towers supposed to move??" Me- "No, I just sit in a chair underneath it all day long, hoping it collapses on my head."
*** This post was edited by Mathew 1/11/2003 11:18:15 PM ***

Mathew, your formula is the correct definition for acceleration, change in speed divided by change in time. If you go 0-120 mph in 4 seconds, your AVERAGE acceleration is 30 mph per second, which is 1.37 g's. There is nothing that says the acceleration must be constant thruout the length of the launch. The ride may be set up so that initially the riders will be subjected to less than one g for the first half-second or so with the g force gradually increasing to something approaching 3 g's at the very end of the launch run. That would lessen the probability of injuries due the "snap-shot" effect. It would also be easier on the equipment since it would ease its way up to the full speed. You would feel like you get pushed into the seat increasingly more as the launch progresses. (It seems like this is the case with the upshot sides on the Power Tower.) Does anyone who has ridden Xcellerator recall if it seems like the acceleration rate increases as the trains launch?