Why when i go on a rollercoaster, or bungee jumping, that everything feels like it's going in slow motion???

Question

it just all starts slowing down, why does this happen?

Answer 1

i'm sorry but which rollercoaster and bungee jumps have you gone on that goes in slow motion because usually when someones in a fast object, like a car, a bus or a rollercoaster they go fast but I could be wrong. That could just be normal people

Answer 2

Both bungee jumping and roller-coastering involve free fall. You're essentially attached to a cord or sitting in a cart, but these 'safety precautions' don't detract from the essential 'weightlessness' you feel for that split second.

i mean, whether you feel differently or not, the fact of the matter is that you're actually speeding up as you accelerate downwards, not slowing down.

So, when you say everything's slowing down, im gonna assume you mean one of two things:

1) that you're going down so fast, you're probably not paying too much attention to the air and scenery around you, so i guess the blur you see looks like slow motion.

OR

2) that you're referring to the part of the bungee jump where you're switching direction and bouncing back up, or the part in the roller coaster ride where you're about to drop.

In case (2), what's going on there is the force of gravity is having its full effect when there's not horizontal rollercoaster track to keep you supported (or no opposing spring force to keep you going up). because it's a force, it accelerates any mass (that means you!) at a constant rate. So that means you're speed is increasing every second. In essence, you're going faster, and faster than faster, and then faster than faster than faster, and etc. Hope you catch my drift.

the thing is, i dont know if i really answered your question, since i wasnt totally sure on the feeling your talking about.

Answer 3

It's your body doing that to protect you from going into shock. Same thing with a car crash... it feels like it is all in slow motion. It's a defense mechanism