How does Newton's first law affect roller coasters?

, the Law of Inertia, is what makes roller coasters so much fun.

Inertia can be simplified to, "objects want to keep doing what they are doing." It's when they are forced to do something different that we, as roller coaster riders, experience the thrill of the ride. It causes us to experience rapid (both positive and negative) and the change in g force that accompanies such changes.

We find ourselves often pinned against the seat, or feeling like we are floating off of it, because the roller coaster car has decided to change direction (thanks to its connection to the track), but our bodies' inertia wants to keep us going in a straight line. This is most prominent on the rapid changes in direction or altitude.