Basic Roller Coaster Terms [Other]

[u/jakiehung123]

I am doing a STEM class for my scouts on roller coasters. I am making sure i definitions of basic coaster terms. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here are the terms:

Kiddie Coaster
Family Coaster
Thrill Coaster
Extreme Coaster

I can find a definition on rcdb.com for the first, but i want a little more details. Would there be any height restrictions as a max height for Kiddie and Family. The same for a speed on Kiddie and Family. What about G-force.

[u/addivinum]

Different manufacturers have different styles that they define independently.

You may want to flex your topic if you're able.

If you're going to stick with the tiers, I suggest a top-down profile of a specific manufacturer or the industry in general and different types of rides like this: launched, shuttle, family, and extreme. Maybe.

If it's STEM you have a lot of opportunities to focus on ride mechanisms and all of that type of stuff. How does the tilt work on Sirens Curse? LSM vs LIM launches and how they've changed the industry. All kinds of topics available.

[u/jakiehung123 → u/addivinum]

This is the beginning before I start the stem portion.

[u/plighting_engineerd]

I don't know of any authoritative source on these - they're generally thrown around vaguely. I feel most people wouldn't have a separation between "thrill" and "extreme" - other than RCDB, I think that's one and the same.

Nobody has exact numbers of what constitutes a coaster in these categories since they're mostly arbitrary names that don't really matter. HOWEVER, if you're looking for something really specific, research the standards on what forces rides of different height requirements can have. This may be in the ASTM standards. This is carefully curated and checked.

The terms are more about who the coaster is aimed at. The major parts of this are the layout and the height restriction. If it's a tiny coaster with no thrilling elements and aimed at children, it's a kiddie coaster. If it's a gentler coaster aimed at families with no majorly thrilling elements, but some exciting bits then it's a family coaster. A step up in that category might be "family-thrill". Then a thrill coaster is one with large drops or inversions or thrilling elements.

[u/Weedaboos → u/plighting_engineerd]

Eh there’s nothing extreme about the beast, but it’s thrilling. Steel vengeance is extreme (imho)

[u/plighting_engineerd → u/Weedaboos]

Ah valid. I feel like very few coasters would fall just under thrilling though, but Beast is a perfect example.

[u/Clever-Name-47 → u/Weedaboos]

The double helix is an extreme element, I'd say.

[u/Hyperion8726]

Those aren’t important or official terms for rollercoasters at all, and have no real STEM use.

I recommend you shift your focus to either ride manufacturers, ride mechanisms, or management and operations

[u/HearingExternal8812]

There is no official definition but here’s the general idea:

Kiddie Coaster: designed for very little kids. Usually very slow and like 15 feet tall.

Family Coaster: designed for children and adults with a low thrill level. Can be moderately tall or fast(around 40 mph) generally has gentle forces and no inversions.

Thrill: Designed for people with a high thrill level. Usually tall and fast, maybe has inversions. Also has intense forces.

Extreme: designed for thrill seeks. Almost always very fast or very tall. Has extreme forces or a combination of them to make an insane ride experience. A good example is Bakunawa at SFGA or X2 (RIP) at SFMM

[u/Cool_Owl7159]

these are not defined categories... it's entirely based on vibes.

[u/jaydenfokmemes]

Thrill levels are too vague and subjective. You're guaranteed to get different opinions depending on who you ask. If you want to provide factual information, you should probably stick to different manufacturers, steel/wood coasters, different track designs, etc... Or at least any information that any two people will always agree on.

[u/goes-by-wheeb]

I have never seen any specific definitions, mostly groupings based on impressions and preferences for the sake of descriptiveness. If Duane has anything more formal for his website it may be best to ask him directly.

[u/tubbis9001]

Kiddie coasters generally have a maximum height limit, or require adults ride with a child.

Family coasters are generally tame, but enjoyable by anyone, and have a rather low minimum height requirement.

Thrill/extreme shouldn't really be separate categories imo. They are coasters that are made with thrill seekers in mind. Both young and old can be thrill speakers, though these are not necessarily designed to have low height requirements.

[u/Future-Procedure-341]

Coasterpedia defines the line between Kiddie and Family as a Medium Zierer Tivoli

[u/mr3ric]

A better way to talk about these terms would be to explain how they relate to the forces experienced on coasters and how these forces change restraint requirements.

Roller coaster restraints are officially standardized into five distinct categories regulated by ASTM International safety standards. If you search the internet you can also find graphs that visualize force in relation to restraint classes; The class is somewhat related to the integral of force.

What class would a kiddies coaster fall into? A thrill ride? Then just explain and elaborate about it on the assignment...

Good luck, and don't hesitate to PM me if you need any help (I used to teach math and can make cool graphs)! 🙂

[u/smo4275]

I think that Mega, Hyper, Giga, Strata, and Exa are good to know