Bonnie Berkowitz and Laura Stanton, “Roller Coasters: Feeling Loopy”

Bonnie Berkowitz and Laura Stanton

Bonnie Berkowitz and Laura Stanton are graphic artists at the Washington Post. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Berkowitz has researched and produced health and science pieces for the Post since 1995. She has also worked for several other newspapers, including the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Stanton graduated from the University of Notre Dame, freelanced for more than twenty years, and worked for the Chicago Tribune and the Dallas Morning News before joining the Post. The two frequently work together to create informative, visually rich infographics on topics that readers can easily relate to.

“Roller Coasters: Feeling Loopy”

In this interactive graphic for the online version of the Washington Post, Berkowitz and Stanton explain the physics at play in roller-coaster design, showing why our bodies and brains respond to such rides as they do. Coasters may depend on a fair amount of illusion, as the authors suggest, but anyone who has ridden one can attest that the effects—whether fear, excitement, nausea, or joy—are very real.

Trends now and (maybe) later



Exposure. The less restrained you are, the faster and more dangerous the ride feels. Many types of coasters leave arms and legs to dangle in the breeze.

Nostalgia. In the past, wooden coasters did not go upside down, but new ones use steel rails to create loops and barrel rolls while maintaining the rickety feel of wood.

Surprise. On Verbolten at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, magnets holding a section of track suddenly release and drop the car 16 feet into the middle of a dark, spooky “forest.”

Personalization. Decker thinks riders in the not-too-distant future will be able to customize their experience by choosing a more or less intense trip on a given ride.

Unique experiences. Riders may float in zero gravity for eight seconds on a coaster planned by “immersive experience” creator BRC Imagination Arts.

View the interactive graphic.

Click through “Roller Coasters: Feeling Loopy,” and respond to the following questions.

Questions on Meaning and Strategy

  1. Question

    kxi6nXef3SKfp4BYRecA0V0t901NSreyyvi7KwKwje5TP8sCsVmxpI6Swgew3P0frJcCIR1xQcEyD1Rdunuepl3EB5ci7/N519T0IiePdYVsmfUuEBFftuUwXvtsM3Xzb6cvXsImz5Cml7e+1NDequZ/dHZlcCO8F3Y9oVTjSWIxIfodWHOOZ85J5fs5v9pW/MjY/t614j96uOu94PMBO9jeltL9CCsty21SxqNuVIMCY/a4LfRkAS+Dew4CNFn98isQDzdxOb203DCXa+Y7llhHHkwNFk8cp8kQu1QWSLhGr3pHifGuVEC/flcgKL4H9xuQWt2Io4I9FUeo2kkg1phPVH2MaRvwuVikmop0vrYUBUxB/h1YA8pwMJI=

  2. Question

    tpFIBaSsApfKKINomcUInIscG66TZUq47MTNj4g+/VvghCYkneMkrDthLsONaF715BTN9U9UhZIjQ0fUZt6Unbh3PDQxUGU+eZ2tEVaDxus9ToIHNcE0mK685wdrUfoJYwPGE5RHecaYfOWdeMsdWP5HnDtZmGKEtn/GVeGdAAVTr0eUyoLVmgrMz5t8xUZTwdo1WgBXS8f/B1JrnBTQxd1f6ROZnPbkEiAs9/yXITT/awmpkUi4u47iU3jd8AktrtqlA5jMIL9fr99JkcDipw==

  3. Question

    X6S2dIyKutebpXDyHm6/w5lAZb2QSiEKlEjwvE5JokbNbBawVIyY95yXQKhBzIb1Te2IXlhQW4Yb3dSbLBVwOz563XasxSaHDq0sRGPJe6S1g6tkwZaDYAdbuv7dxBuOSZbcunBjZudwRlZH2zlD/6/C8nLnmWYpNp4wfkv3GAM70krJ0eu1CH/Qatp4MR9WSr5xNuj3JI6qvl8qH+rn+1TERj6cPG5O

  4. Question

    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

Suggestions for Writing

  1. Question

    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

  2. Question

    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