Drop Definition and 876 Threads

A drop tower or big drop is a type of amusement ride incorporating a central structure or tower. Drop towers vary in height, passenger capacity, lift type, and brake type. Many are custom-made, although there are some mass-produced designs. Riders experience free-fall initially, followed by rapid heavy deceleration.
With most drop towers, a gondola carrying riders is lifted to the top of a large vertical structure, then released to free-fall down the tower. Brakes slow the gondola as it approaches the bottom of the ride. Some designs expand on this concept with features such as rotating gondolas, or several bounces before coming to rest.
Most drop towers require child riders to exceed a minimum height; limits vary widely depending upon the nature of the tower, with a 9-metre (30 ft) tower for smaller children from 95 centimetres (37 in) tall, and a 35-metre (115 ft) tower having a 130-centimetre (51 in) restriction.Drop towers use a magnetic braking system to slow the carriage quickly and smoothly once it reaches the bottom of the tower. This system is fail-safe because magnets do not need to be powered by electricity or other sources; they work intrinsically by the laws of magnetism.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. K

    Drop in Pressure Over A Given Distance

    Hey I've been working on this pressure problem, and I am really stumped. We just started fluids, and I'm not really sure where to start. If someone could help me or point me in the right direction, that'd be great. Thanks! Heres the problem: A straight horizontal garden hose 43.0 m long...
  2. C

    Finding voltage drop in parallel and series circuits

    i think i may have the solution to this problem, but something about it is still bothering me. the question is, if you have a 100W and a 60W bulb, both on the same series circuit, across which bulb will there be a greater voltage drop? if the same are on a parallel circuit?.. as i...
  3. G

    Construct an Egg Drop Device with 10 Straws and Cardboard

    Egg Drop Device! I have to create an Egg Dropping Device for my Physics class using these materials: 10 straws 8 x 8 cardboard piece cellotapes (to attach the joints and nothing else!) The egg must survive a fall of about... 10 ~ 15 feet I assume... Please feel free to post...
  4. A

    Designing a Landing Pad for an Egg Drop Project: Tips and Strategies

    Egg drop nned help now! I need help on this project that is due Oct 25. The project is an egg drop. The task is to design and construct a landing pad for a raw egg that will prevent the egg from breaking. The only materials we can use are 10 sheets of regualar paper, 8 straws, 1 meter of...
  5. S

    Egg Drop Device Acceleration Question

    In science we had to build a device which, when dropped 3 stories onto cement, should not allow an egg inside inside of it to crack. One of the follow up questions says : Why should your device accelerate slightly slower than the gravitational acceleration of 9.8 m/s/s " - I can't understand why...
  6. P

    Calculating Charge of Oil Drop in Electric Field

    another fun Ap phyiscs problem..short as usual: In one run of the oil drop experiment a 20 mg drop was suspended between parallel plates 1.5 cm apart when the potential difference was 300 V. Compute the number of excess electronic charges on the drop. is this just saying "compute the oil...
  7. M

    Cliff Height Calculation: Rock Drop & Sound Travel

    rock is dropped from cliff. it is heard hitting the ocean 3.00s later, if speed of sound is 340m/s, how high is the cliff? im so stuck
  8. N

    Designing the Perfect Egg Drop Package: Tips and Tricks for the Competition

    I am helping my son with the following: Egg Drop Competition Design a package to hold an egg during a 6' drop without breakage. Score is based on how close to the target the package lands and tie will be decided by lightest package. The Competition: 1. All pre-constructed...
  9. W

    Raindrop - tear drop or inner tube

    I was reading a physics book the other day that said that rain drops were inner tube shaped and they showed a picture my advanced phys teacher said that is false because they are tear drop shaped and if you probe it. ie look for its shape, vel, pos. you will alter it that is why it looks like a...
  10. R

    Conservation of momentum of plate drop

    Hi, i was wondering if anybody can help me with the following problem: A plate drops onto a smooth floor and shatters into 3 pieces of equal mass. 2 of the pieces go off with equal speeds v at right angles to one another. How do I find the speed and direction of the third piece? I know...
  11. H

    Question from a HS Drop Out (Gravity)

    1. What is the force that makes an airplane/SR-71 compress as it goes faster? Is this same force what gravity is? Does the counter clockwise spin of the Earth create gravity? If we spun faster would gravity be greater? If we stopped spinning would the Earth expand like a fish being pulled up...
  12. C

    Very low voltage drop transistor

    I'd like to construct a fast-reacting current overload protection device. And rather than use a FET as a short to blow a fuse I'd rather just use a semiconductor in series that I can open on overload. This is similar in operation to some "intelligent circuit breakers" based on a Intra...
  13. O

    One-off: Black drop problem an SR effect?

    One-off: "Black drop" problem an SR effect? From a Reuters science article (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=585&e=1&u=/nm/20040511/sc_nm/space_venus_dc ) This sounds like something one would want to explain through SR - perhaps GR. Any comments from anyone?
  14. A

    News This is a vital issue and concerns National Security who will drop this ball

    as this article points out Bushco is well on their way to fumbling the ball. see here: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4864237-102275,00.html :eek:
  15. B

    Air Flow Crash Course: Pressure Drop V. Vol, Speed, Duct Size & Shape

    Can anyone suggest a site where I can get a crash course in air flow? What I am looking for is pressure drop verses various volumes, speed, duct size, shape, etc. I have spent over an hour searching the net, but haven't had any luck. Thanks.
  16. P

    Voltage Drop in Circuits with Parallel Components

    When a volt meter is placed in a circuit on its own the reading is say 4v. But when a component, 'x', is placed in parallel the voltage drops. Why is this?? Physman
  17. L

    Egg drop: no parachutes or padding

    any suggestions on this lab? dropped from i guess 3 stories up and the vehicle must be around 50 grams. no parachutes or padding either.
  18. B

    Calculating Voltage Drop in Transformers

    I need help find a good page which talks about the physics of a tranformer. I know all about the b fields and the flux and the ratio of the windings but what I really need is the practical formulea and methods for example calculating the voltage drop on the primary if the secondary has...
  19. wasteofo2

    News Why do people like Dick Gephardt drop out of politics completely?

    I don't get it, Dick Gephardy was well loved and seemingly a great leader. I understand why he thought that if he did so poorly in Iowa that he'd do much worse elsewhere and dropped out of the presidential race, but why wouldn't someone like that attempt some other office?
  20. I

    Can (v1-v2) Prove the Existence of the Smallest Unit of Electric Charge?

    We recently did a lab where we were given an animation of the oil drop experiment, and we were supposed to find the velocity of the droplet when Fg and FQ were in the same direction (v1) and when Fg and FQ were in opposite directions (v2)... Then we found (v1 - v2) and were told to analyze and...
  21. P

    Why does a key drop to the floor when released from my hand?

    If I drop a key... Dear friends! I'm new here but have read a lot of inforamtion and books about GR. However I struggle as much as all others to get a picture of the specetime. I will challenge you - not with a question but with an invitation - who tell the best story that explains why my...
  22. S

    How to Suspend an Egg in a Diamond Cage Using Limited Materials?

    Hey i really need some help on this one. I am working on a physics project. It is the old "egg drop project." I need some help and advice. How do you recommend suspending the egg and keeping it safe while in a diamond shaped cage. The only catch is you can only use 40 straws, 10 rubber...
  23. Y

    Designing a Winning Egg Drop Project: Tips and Tricks for Success

    I have a younger cousin who needs suggestions for an egg drop project. He will be dropping an egg from a certain distance (not sure how high, but not too high), and he has to build a device that will prevent it from breaking. The requirements are that there are no parachutes, it cannot be...
  24. Ivan Seeking

    New theory on mass extinction blames sudden drop in oxygen: The Oregonian

    http://www.oregonlive.com/enter/index.ssf?/science/oregonian/index.ssf%3f/base/science/1062590337326170.xml
  25. G

    Can this info get a spring constant and a drop height

    if an 450lb cart has 16 inches of travel and is fully extended under its own weight, it sinks 3 inches with me, 125 lbs addition, can this info get a spring constant and a drop height where the springs would bottom out with me in it? if any other info is needed, assume the best case dealy-bob...
  26. D

    If I drop a vibrating 440 Hz tuning fork down the elevator shaft

    if I drop a vibrating 440 Hz tuning fork down the elevator shaft of a tall building and when I hear a freq. of 400 Hz, is it possible to determine how far has the tuning fork fallen? My friend said yes but I think no. Am i right?
Back
Top