Travelling at speeds of up to one hundred miles per hour, hundreds of feet up in the air, roller coasters are the most thrilling of all amusement rides. Whether strapped into a miniature "train," dangling chairlift style, or even standing up, roller coaster fans enjoy the sensation of not being in control. Besides being built for the enjoyment of enthusiasts, roller coasters are also objects of local pride. The famous wooden Coney Island Cyclone was a New York City landmark in the early twentieth century. In the 1920s, boardwalk roller coasters helped publicize beach resorts. In the twenty-first century, roller coasters are the centerpieces of all big amusement parks.

However intricate the twists, turns, and loops of the track might be, roller coasters are really very simple. The cars carry enough energy from the first big downhill to take them through the rest of the course...