The overall introduction of pendulum rides
Not to be confused with Swing ride. Pendulum rides are amusement rides based on the motion of a fixed pendulum. The configuration of the ride consists of a gondola, arm, and an axle. One end of the arm is fitted with a passenger-carrying gondola, while the other is attached to the axle. On some models, the arm extends beyond the axle and is fitted with a heavy counterweight. The counterweight is often used when the gondola swings through an inversion. In addition to swinging back and forth, some designs incorporate rotating gondolas and may send riders through a complete inversion. Pendulum rides are propelled by one of two methods: a series of DC motors driving the axle, or wheels at the base of the station pushing the gondola as it swings by.
Physical science behind pendulum rides:
The physics behind this ride involves an understanding of pendulums. When you hear the word pendulum, you are probably more likely to think of a grandfather clock rather than an amusement park ride. Rides like the Sky flyer (pictured above) and the pirate ship ride (pictured at the bottom of the page) follow the same pattern of movement that the pendulum in a grandfather clock does. A Pendulum consists of pivot, a mass and a cable. When the mass is pulled in a particular direction at some angle the pivot allows the mass to swing back and forth in an arc-like motion. The picture below labels the parts of a pendulum.
The red line represents the starting point of the mass. It was pulled back to a particular point (represented by the black line) and allowed to swing freely. The blue line then represents the ending point of the swinging mass. What actually allows the mass to swing is the force of gravity. If we were to make a graph of the motion of the mass it would resemble the graph of a sine or cosine function, as shown below. The lines that would correspond to the points on the graph have also been labeled. The amount that the cord is pulled back to some height is called the amplitude. By looking at the diagram and the sin curve, we see that the amplitudes must be equal. So, if you were to pull the cable to a height of 10 cm, then when it swings it could only go as high as 10 cm in the other direction.
Parite ships and Frisbee rides.
Most pendulum rides have big open areas with seats. One example is the pirate ship ride. The ride has an arm arched to an axle. One end of arm holds the ship. The other has a heavy weight. A motor make the ship swing back and force. The ship goes higher and higher. It builds momentum. Momentum is speed. The ship swings so high that riders think it will go upside down. In fact, some pendulum rides do go in a full circle. When it turns upside down, riders get that feeling of being weightless again! Don’t lose your lunch! Your insides shift when experiencing zero gravity. Make sure not to eat a big meal before riding a pendulum!
The Huss Frisbee ride has also been one of the most popular rides in the manufacturer’s line, with installations in parks around the world. Six Flags purchased several of the rides, each one featuring a different theme package to fit the section of the park they were installed in. The ride's combination of swinging motion and rotation made it quite eye catching to passersby. When a rider reaches the top of a pendulum ride, she experiences a feeling of weightlessness. On a 360 degree ride, one that makes a full circle, the rider experiences a feeling of complete weightlessness. Contrary to popular opinion, the sensation of weightlessness is not caused by a decreasing lack of gravitational force pushing on a rider’s body. What a rider feels is actually the seat pushing on their body. The seat's push counteracts the gravitational force pushing downward. A 200 KG person seated in a chair (at rest) feels the chair pushing up on his body with the same force of his weight, 200 KG. At the top of a pendulum ride, this person would feel less than this normal sensation of weight. At the very top of the ride, riders also start to fall out of their seats. The rider now has no pressure other than gravitational forces pushing down on him, creating a sensation of weightlessness. Contrary to the feelings of weightlessness felt at the top of the ride, a rider will usually feel high gravitational forces pulling on him as he reaches the bottom of the ride. This is due to the increased amount of pressure the seat puts upon a rider's body.
