Roller Coaster Physics iPhone Application

[Sparebear75]

I was scouring over my Gizmodo RSS feed and I noticed a small picture in one of the stories. Upon closer inspection someone has made an application for the iPhone to give you the results of the various forces during the ride. I'm just about to download it to see how it works. Hope this actually works and hope to hear from other TPR members about their results!

 

http://gizmodo.com/5049131/the-week-in-iphone-apps-games-file-sharing-and-more-games

 

http://sites.google.com/site/silvermanasoftware/roller-coaster-physics

[SLUSHIE]

Thats pretty neat. I wouldn't really expect it to be accurate but its probably cool to mess with.

[MixedDrink]

Doubt it works that well, but sounds really cool.

Does it also work with the iPod Touch ?

[Sparebear75]

It does say it works for both the iPhone and iPod touch.

 

Instructions: After you've boarded the roller coaster hit the 'Start' button to begin. You'll have 10 seconds to place the iPhone/Touch in your pocket before the program starts measuring the gravity force. Use a snug pocket to minimize any back and forth motion of the device itself. When the ride is complete hit the 'Stop' button to view the data. You can scroll forward or back in time on the graph by dragging your finger.

[haux]

How many people are going to lose their iPhones by keeping this out while on the ride?

[Vekoma Fan Boy]

^It appears to be more of a G-Logger than just a readout that happens at the time the force is occurring, so I guess as long as it is safely secured in a pocket, it could work.

[Capitalize]

How many people are going to lose their iPhones by keeping this out while on the ride?

 

 

We'll probably see a lot more people getting hit by rides trying to retrieve their phones as well.

[timberskara]

Thanks for sharing. Even though I can't see using this all the time (I'm not THAT big of a nerd!), I think it'd be cool to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes!

[Not For Sale]

Wouldn't it have to be in a fixed position in order for it to be remotely accurate? I feel like since it goes in your pocket it'll not know which way is up.

[chemical_echo]

It looks cool but I'd much prefer the Aircraft Identification Guide.

[timberskara]

Just a follow-up, I tried it on Renegade yesterday and it seems reasonably accurate. Here's a screenshot of a portion of the log:

 

 

I wish there was a better way to capture/email the entire readout for comparison between rides, but for right now I can't figure it out.

 

PS I don't think it really matters which way you put it in your pocket.