"If your a nerdy mathematician like me, a roller coaster is a buzz of all the geometry and calculus that has gone into constructing of a ride that pushes things to the limit. But there is 1 roller coaster in Europe that gets my blood racing more than any other, the Grand National at Blackpool.
When you race round the track you are experiencing one of the most exciting shapes for mathematicians: The Mobius Strip / loop
As the trains race for the finishing line / winning post something happens, the trains arrive on the opposite side of the station, the tracks never meet or seem to cross each other, how did the designers create this feat..?
The effect is achieved at the infamous Becher's Brook jump (I thought they crossed before the lift hill - Ed) where one track races over the top of the other and from that point the tracks have swapped sides, this is the simple twist at Becher's Brook that is the key to Mobius Strip. the beautiful mathematical shape that underpins the design of this track.
A Question:
If I take a Mobius Strip and cut it lengthways down the middle, I get just 1 looped piece of paper. But what happens if I cut this new loop lengthways down the middle..?
