The Analytics of Thrills

The Analytics of Thrills

By Kira YamashitaScience
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The Analytics of Thrills episodes

  • Does Bigger = Better?

    Kira talks about whether or not a traditionally large coaster makes it better. We run regressions to find the correlations between a coaster’s top stats and its rank. We’ll then discuss the r^2 values and what they tell us. 

    • https://captaincoaster.com/en/ranking/?page=1

    • https://rcdb.com/


    7 min
  • Is the most statistically average coaster an average ride?

    In this episode, Kira contrasts the most statistically average coasters in each theme park with the qualitatively most average coasters in each theme park. Kira talks about the both overlap and lack of overlap between these two different averages, and why that might be so.


    Sources:

    • https://rcdb.com/

    • https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/7293

    • https://captaincoaster.com/en/parks/73/busch-gardens-tampa

    • https://captaincoaster.com/en/parks/84/universal-islands-of-adventure 

    • https://guidetosfot.com/rides/miniminetrain/

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_Mine_Train_(Six_Flags_Over_Texas)

    • https://www.sfotsource.com/rides/canyon-blaster

    • https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Air_Grover

    11 min
  • Do inversions make a ride better or worse?

    Kira discusses whether or not inversions make a coaster better or worse. Kira compares the median amount of inversions per coaster at a few different theme parks, and then compare sthe general ranking of those theme parks to see if more inversions generally correlates with a higher park ranking.


    • https://grokipedia.com/page/Roller_coaster_inversion#:~:text=A%20roller%20coaster%20inversion,below%20their%20feet

    • chatgpt.com

    • rcdb.com


    12 min
  • What if every park had to remove half of its coasters?

    In this episode, Kira discusses the fun "what if" scenario of getting rid of half of the coasters in a couple of theme parks. She compares and contrasts which coasters she personally would get rid of with the coasters that would lose in each stat category, for example the shortest coasters.


    • https://rcdb.com/ 

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bad_Wolf:_The_Wolf%27s_Revenge 

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYIYNvc-YM0 

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BRGhKVoyQY 

    • https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/DarKoaster 

    • ​​https://kids.kiddle.co/Grover%27s_Alpine_Express

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwQTUJzHepY 

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI9dMHKWb-A

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozR2hWXKRnM

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCKhkRPq8rI

    • https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Verbolten

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92M6cPJfRxs

    • https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Drachen_Fire

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbo_Jet_(Morey%27s_Piers)

    18 min
  • Hershey Park Deep Dive

    In this episode, Kira presents a brief history of Hersheypark and then compares the coasters of Hersheypark and Hersheypark as a whole using data.


    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hersheypark

    • https://rcdb.com/

    • https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cAmusementWaterParks-g191
    12 min
  • Deep Dive into Six Flags

    Kira discusses the history of the Six Flags chain pre-merge (2024,) and highlights the differences between the statistically 'best' coasters/parks and those which are actually regarded as the best.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Flags 

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_One_(roller_coaster) 

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bobcat_(roller_coaster) 

    https://rcdb.com/ 

    https://scnstargazer.org/9111/opinion/ranking-the-top-5-thrill-coasters-at-six-flags/ 

    https://thecoasterkings.com/six-flags-parks-ranked/ 

    https://chatgpt.com/

    15 min
  • Safety by the Numbers

    Kira discusses the safety features of roller coasters, and how roller coaster safety has evolved over time. Kira also compares data regarding roller coaster accidents to those of everyday activities to show the chances of injury.

    https://bmwlawgroup.com/amusement-park-injury-statistics/#:~:text=How%20Many%20Roller%20Coaster%20Accidents,in%20Six%20Flags%20New%20England 

    https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS/SafetyProblem 

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18520277/#:~:text=Results:%20Extrapolated%20numbers%20indicate%20that,to%20the%20elbow%20or%20knee 

    https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db466.htm 

    https://www.hsinjurylaw.com/virginia-beach-personal-injury-attorneys.cfm 

    https://www.denenapoints.com/death-roller-coaster-startling-united-states-statistics/#:~:text=Our%20roller%20coaster%20accident%20attorneys,One%20aortic%20laceration%2C%20and 

    https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-theme-park-accidents-20140103-dto-htmlstory.html#:~:text=The%20analysis%20also%20found%20that:%20*%20Older,such%20as%20asthma%20or%20high%20blood%20pressure 

    https://www.abc27.com/digital-originals/coaster-safety-the-mechanics-of-a-roller-coaster/ 

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_roller_coaster 

    https://webtribunal.net/blog/amusement-park-accident-statistics/#:~:text=3.,are%20caused%20by%20passengers%27%20misbehavior.&text=A%20theme%20park%20accident%20is,in%20case%20of%20a%20lawsuit 


    11 min
  • B&M vs. Intamin

    Kira gives a brief overview of the manufacturers B&M and Intamin and uses data to compare them.


    • https://www.intamin.com/company/about-us/ 

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolliger_%26_Mabillard#Notable_roller_coasters 

    • https://grokipedia.com/page/Bolliger_%26_Mabillard#roller-coaster-types 

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intamin#Roller_coasters 

    • https://rcdb.com/
    11 min
  • Wood vs. Steel

    Kira compares wooden and steel roller coasters, discusses the struggle of the lack of data on roller coaster costs, and examines the varying intensities of wooden and steel coasters.


    https://rcdb.com/

    https://grokipedia.com/page/Shivering_Timbers#history

    https://grokipedia.com/page/Wildfire_(Silver_Dollar_City)#trains-and-technical-specifications

    https://www.carneerides.com/wood-roller-coaster-maintenance/#maintenance-costs-wood-vs-steel

    14 min
  • What makes a "good" roller coaster?

    Kira discusses the different ride elements, both quantitative and qualitative, that have placed some roller coasters in highly ranked spots!

    https://rcdb.com/


    https://coasterbot.com/votecoasters-fullresults2024


    https://captaincoaster.com/en/ranking/?page=1

    12 min

About The Analytics of Thrills

From the publisher's feed

Calling all roller coaster enthusiasts and theme-park goers alike! The Analytics of Thrills dives into the data behind your favorite rides and parks, revealing how the numbers power all the twists,…