There’s a ton of math involved in roller coasters, so much so that it’s nearly 100 percent math from start to finish. One of the hardest things to understand is how rollercoasters work. It is very important to make sure roller coasters are ready to open. To assure that they are ready, they use many different types of calculations. Most roller coasters depend on the potential and kinetic energy that they get. To complete a loop, a roller coaster must have the right speed and acceleration. Most roller coasters will start off with a high hill. The greater the size of the hill, the greater the amount of potential energy. When the roller coaster reaches the bottom of the big hill, the potential energy will totally convert to what is called kinetic energy, which is also known as the motion of speed. This is when the roller coaster will probably reach its highest speed in the whole ride. When it comes to creating and constructing roller coasters, the group or team that has the idea of the roller coaster usually sketches it out showing the placement of twists, turns, loops, hills, and more. Once they complete that drawing, they will then create a more technical drawing in a computer aided design program or (C.A.D.). This is usually the point where the math and science is very important. They then calculate the slopes of the roller coaster in order to have an accurate model. This will take a while, because its very important that the model is greatly accurate. It's so important because the construction crew needs to be able to know the exact measurements, angles, loop sizes, and so much more. Popular roller coasters, such as the "King Da Kah", may take up to two years just to design. However, building the coaster could only take up to 10 months. For smaller designs, the whole thing could be done within just a year. Roller coasters rely on total energy to work. You find the total energy by adding potential energy and kinetic energy together. P.E. + K.E. = T.E. However, any rollercoaster can lose energy because of friction. There are three ways roller coaster energy could be lost to friction, the wind, rolling friction, and braking.