By: Robert Lamb
2 min
Image: mjbs/ThinkStock
About This Quiz
Few thrills in life rival the sheer adrenaline rush of a roller coaster ride. If you're not getting on one now, make do with the ultimate roller-coaster quiz instead.
Roller coasters are driven almost entirely by three basic forces. Which of the following is not one of them?
air resistance force
gravitational force
centripetal force
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Roller coasters rely almost entirely on basic inertial, gravitational and centripetal forces, all manipulated in the service of a great ride.
Roller coasters have come a long way just in the last 20 years, but when was the first full-fledged roller coaster built?
the 1700s
the 1800s
the 1900s
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
While the basic concept dates back to the Russian ice slides of the 1700s, the first roller coaster in which the train was attached to the track dates back to 1817 and the French coaster Russes a Belleville (Russian Mountains of Belleville).
What was the first U.S. roller coaster?
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The first American roller coaster was the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, built in the mountains of Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s. Leap the Dips and the Zippin Pippin didn't come along until the 1900s.
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While many roller coasters use a chain lift to get the train to the top of the lift hill, others use a catapult launch lift. Which of the following isn’t used to power the catapult?
electromagnets
steam
rotating wheels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
While steam may help launch fighter jets off the decks of aircraft carriers, roller coasters aren't quite ready to go all Top Gun just yet. You'll typically find catapult launch lifts powered by rapidly spinning wheels or electromagnetic fields.
Roller coasters allow us to soar screaming through space normally reserved for birds. As such, collisions are inevitable -- and sometimes hilarious. Which of the following celebrity hunks took a goose to the face aboard Busch Gardens’ “Apollo's Chariot" in March 1999?
Richard Gere
Patrick Swayze
Fabio
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
There’s just something about Fabio’s square-jawed, lion-haired, wax-chested machismo. The ladies can’t resist him and neither can Virginia waterfowl. The bloody Italian model was taken to a local hospital following the incident, where he was treated for minor cuts.
Which type of roller coaster design positions two seats from each car on either side of the track and allows them to spin or rotate on their own axis?
fourth dimension
flying
wonkavator
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
If your roller coaster ride involves this much movement, you're probably on a fourth-dimension coaster which, despite its name, does not actually travel in time -- at least no more than usual.
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While the thrill of impending death aboard a roller coaster is par for the course, actual death tends to take all the fun out of it. According to the International Association of Amusem*nt Parks and Attractions, how many fatalities occurred on fixed-site amusem*nt park rides during 2008?
222
322
422
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
There were 422 fixed-site amusem*nt park ride fatalities in 2008. To put that in perspective, that's out of an estimated 291.2 million attendance. The estimated fixed-site amusem*nt park ride injuries for 2008 were 1,523.
Let's say you wanted to ride the steepest steel roller coaster in the world. Which coaster would you get in line for?
the Mumbo Jumbo in the U.K.'s Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo
the Vild-Svinet in Denmark's BonBon-Land
the Typhoon in Belgium's Bobbejaanland Family Park
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Book a flight for Malton in the United Kingdom, because the Mumbo Jumbo is recognized by the book of Guinness World Records as the steepest steel roller coaster in the world. As of 2009, it boasted a terrifying 112-degree descent angle, compared to the 97-degree angle that the Vild-Svinet and Typhoon coasters each have.
You love standing on top of skyscrapers, right? And you love roller coasters, too, don't you? Just where in the world might you find your dream coaster?
atop the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
atop the Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
atop Midtown Tower in Tokyo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
While the coaster itself wasn’t too impressive, the Stratosphere Hotel's High Roller entertained thrill seekers at a height of 909 feet (277 meters) above the Las Vegas strip. The ride closed on Dec. 30, 2005.
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Which of the following continents features the highest number of roller coasters?
Europe
Asia
North America
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
According to the Roller Coaster Database, as of 2009 Asia was home to 803 roller coasters -- more than any other continent. North America came in second with 739 and Europe ranked third with 686.
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