Exploring a Rollercoaster

By: Eshum Mateen

Yukon Striker
 ▪ A famous Canadian roller coaster is the Yukon Striker,
located in Canada's Wonderland, Vaughan, Ontario. The
roller coaster manufacturer, Bolliger and Mabillard,
created the fastest and tallest dive coaster that dives at 130
km/h at its initial drop of 75 meters. The Yukon Striker is
1105 meters long, and the ride lasts approximately 3
minutes and 25 seconds.

▪ After the closure of a roller coaster called the SkyRider, the

Yukon Striker was built and opened to the public on May
Yukon Striker 3rd, 2019. The exceptionally constructed coaster has a
Canada’s Wonderland floorless stadium seating with 3 rows of 8 riders. There is
also a 'hold and dive' feature that stops the train for 3
seconds over a 90-degree drop into an underwater tunnel
and amazingly has a full 360-degree loop in its structure.

▪ I researched this roller coaster since it is famous in

Canada. As someone who enjoys thrilling adventures, this
coaster intrigued me, and I would definitely check it out if I
ever get the chance to go to Canada's Wonderland.
 ▪ The physics behind creating a successful roller coaster is
related to the conversion of energy. There are two forms of
energy involved, gravitational potential energy and kinetic
energy.
▪ The gravitational potential energy value is at its peak when
it reaches the highest point of a roller coaster and lessens
as it descends and reaches the lowest point. Kinetic energy
Physics in is the opposite; its lowest value is at the highest point on a
Rollercoasters roller coaster, and its highest value when it is at the lowest
point.
▪ When the coaster is going up the tracks, it gains
gravitational potential energy, and as it goes down, it loses
potential energy and gains kinetic energy.
▪ These two forms of energy are exchanged for one another,
so the roller coaster can switch from using gravitational
potential energy to kinetic energy, but the total amount of
energy will always stay the same.
 ▪ Degree: 0
1.
▪ Domain: {x | 0 ≤ x < 10, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=1
F(x)=b ▪ Range: {y | y=1, y ∈ ℝ}
▪ Symmetry: Even
 ▪ Degree: 2
2. ▪ Domain: {x | 10 ≤ x < 16.876, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=0.8(x-10)2+1 ▪ Range: {y | 1 ≤ y < 38.831, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 10 units to the left would
make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
3. ▪ Domain: {x | 16.876 ≤ x < 21.317, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=-8(x-19)2+75 ▪ Range: {y | 32.298 < y ≤ 75, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 19 units to the left would
make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
4. ▪ Domain: {x |21.317 ≤ x < 33.625, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=(x-27)2 ▪ Range: {y | 0 ≤y < 43.89, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 27 units to the left would
make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
5. ▪ Domain: {x |33.625 ≤ x < 40.389, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=-(x-38.22)2+65 ▪ Range: {y | 43.942 < y ≤ 65, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 38.22 units to the left
would make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
6. ▪ Domain: {x |40.389 ≤ x < 48.318, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=0.8(x-45.425)2+40 ▪ Range: {y | 9.385 < y ≤ 40, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 45.425 units to the left
would make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
7. ▪ Domain: {x |48.318 ≤ x < 57.954, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=-(x-51.2)2+55 ▪ Range: {y | 9.42 < y ≤ 55, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 51.2 units to the left
would make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
8. ▪ Domain: {x |57.954 ≤ x < 61.612, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=4(x-59)2+5 ▪ Range: {y | 9.377 < y ≤ 55, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 51.2 units to the left
would make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
9. ▪ Domain: {x |61.612 ≤ x < 66.323, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=-4(x-63)2+40 ▪ Range: {y | -3.669 < y ≤ 40, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 63 units to the left would
make it even.
 10. ▪ Degree: 2
f(x)=2 𝑥 − 66 ▪ Domain: {x |66.323 ≤ x < 72.146, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
𝑥 − 72 + 40 ▪ Range: {y | -18 ≤y < 1.797, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 69 units to the left would
make it even.
 ▪ Degree: 2
11. ▪ Domain: {x |72.146 ≤ x < 75.342, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=-3(x-73.8)2+10 ▪ Range: {y |1.1797 < y ≤ 10, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 73.8 units to the left
would make it even.
 12. ▪ Degree: 3
f(x)=0.9(x-74.47)2 ▪ Domain: {x |75.342 ≤ x < 76.4, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
(𝑥−78)+1 ▪ Range: {y |1.118 ≤ y < 2.867, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= ax2 +bx+c
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 75.925 units to the left
and 2.93 units up would make it odd.
 ▪ Degree: 1
13. ▪ Domain: {x |76.4 ≤ x < 76.98, 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}
f(x)=-2(x-76.4)+1 ▪ Range: {y |0 ≤ y < 1.118, y ∈ ℝ}
F(x)= 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏
▪ Symmetry: Neither, translation 76.4 units to the left
would make it odd.
▪ If I took the first three pieces of my
roller coaster, I believe it would be a
3rd-degree function. Looking at the
shape of the function, it has 2 roots or
2 turning points. If the function were
to continue, there is a possibility that
it could be a 4th degree, but since
that is not the case, it would be a 3rd-
degree function.

▪ The formula of the function is

f(x)=0.185(x-14(x-24)(x-30)+25
▪ Although the function I have created does not have the same width as the
piecewise functions, it is quite similar. The highest and lowest point of the
function matches the roller coaster. However, the curves' width is not the
same since the three pieces are not symmetrical. It was not easy to get a
function to match both curves since they are different. I decided to go with
an average width of both roots to fit both and not just one root. The cubic
function I have created only has one 'a' value, whereas the piecewise
functions all have a different 'a' value, which made graphing the single
function difficult. As a recap, the 'a' value makes the function broader or more
narrow; due to the three different 'a' values, my result could not be identical
to the piecewise function.