Web Sites

Amusement Ride Accidents
http://www.rideaccidents.com/
News about accidents and injuries related to amusement park rides.

Carousel
http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/history/history-carousel
Background information and historical facts about carousels.

How Rollercoasters Work
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/roller-coaster.htm
TLC article on how rollercoasters work.

The Physics Classroom
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/
An online physics tutorial written for high school students.

Principles of Aeronautics: Forces and Motion
http://wings.avkids.com/Book/index.html
Lesson plans and experiments that illustrate Newton's laws of motion.

History of Roller Coaster Innovations
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/
Information about roller coaster history and selected rides.

Roller Coaster Database
http://www.rcdb.com/
A searchable database of roller coaster statistics, covering more than 450 rides.

Theme Parks
http://themeparks.about.com/
About.com's guide to theme parks, including links to background information and parks.

 

Books

The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills, Judith A. Adams. Twayne, 1991.

The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster, Robert Cartmell. Amusement Park Books, 1986.

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher, Richard Feynman. Addison-Wesley, 1996.

The Great American Carousel: A Century of Master Craftmanship, Tobin Fraley. Chronicle Books, 1994.

Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide, Karl F. Kuhn. John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Scream Machines: Roller Coasters Past, Present, and Future, Herma Silverstein. Walker, 1986.

The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the World's Best Coasters, Steven Urbanowicz. Citadel, 1997.

The Illustrated Guide to the World's Biggest and Best Roller Coaster and Thrill Rides, Mark Wyatt.
Random House, 1996.

Exhibits Information and Credits
Information on the exhibit and the creators

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"Amusement Park Physics" is inspired by programs from The Mechanical Universe...and Beyond.