Pendulums

Pendulum rides have always been classic rides that have brought the fun feelings of weightlessness and flying. These types of rides generally go in a 360 degree circle thus creating the feelings of weightlessness and also an increase in weight. The increase in force generally is due to your body being pushed against the side or bottom of the ride and happens at the bottom of the arc. Usually when you are at the bottom of the arc the centripetal forces are acting on your body to create a multiplication of your body’s conception of normal gravity. Often at times this is the feeling that causes motion sickness.

Pendulum rides also exhibit weightlessness feelings. The feeling of weightlessness is usually experienced at the top of the 360 degree arc since there is nothing that is holding you completely in place. If a person were to be in a normal chair they would feel the normal effects of gravity since the chair is producing an opposite force equal to your weight. In the case of a ride when you are upside-down there is nothing to produce the opposite force to stop you and create the normal feelings of gravity.