Tilt-A-Whirl Tribute

One of the best amusement park rides ever invented.

Tilt-A-Whirl Tips by Duane Alan Hahn

The Tilt-A-Whirl is a near-perfect blend of chaos and skill. Most amusement park rides have two problems: they are devoid of randomness and your participation usually starts and ends with getting in and holding on. No matter how exciting the ride is, you're usually stuck with what you might call a passive experience. You don't have those problems with the Tilt-A-Whirl.

Tilt-A-Whirl Randomness

You never know which way your car is going to spin. If you sit there and try to do nothing, one minute you could be spinning clockwise and the next minute you're spinning the other way.

Tilt-A-Whirl Control

The person at the controls can affect your spin at certain times if they want to, but skillful riders can also:

Influence the direction of the spin during lulls.
Make their car spin faster.
Help to defuse the spin in some cases if they are riding with someone who starts to feel sick to their stomach.

Tilt-A-Whirl Tip for Newbies

You can try to get your car to spin in the direction you'd like during lulls, but if your car seems to be favoring a certain direction, it's usually best to go with the flow. If you don't fight it and choose to help it along, the ride will usually be more enjoyable since you'll get faster spins.

Tilt-A-Whirl Tips for Wimps

If spinning fast makes you sick, don't get on the Tilt-A-Whirl.
Stay away from the Tilt-A-Whirl if you hate the uncertainty that randomness provides.
When you don't want to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl because of one of the reasons above, but someone talks you into it anyway, watch the cars while standing in line. Sometimes one of the cars will be kind of a dud. It just doesn't seem to want to spin that much. Keep your eye on that car and try to be the first to grab it when you're let in.

Tilt-A-Whirl Links

Image courtesy of Sellner Mfg. Co.

Sellner Manufacturing Company

Builders of the Tilt-A-Whirl and other family amusement rides.

The Science of Fun

Chaos theory and the Tilt-A-Whirl.

Building Up The Tilt-A-Whirl

Images of a Tilt-A-Whirl being put together from start to finish (Lawrie's Carnival and Amusement Park Pages).

Tilt-A-Whirl Chaos I

Part one of two articles about the Tilt-A-Whirl and chaotic systems by Ivars Peterson (Science News Online).

Backup link (MAA Online). Kid Version.

Tilt-A-Whirl Chaos II

Part two of two articles about the Tilt-A-Whirl and chaotic systems by Ivars Peterson (Science News Online).

Backup link (MAA Online).

This small animation was created by Duane Alan Hahn. It's an edited version of Ken Denton's original color video. Used with Ken Denton's permission.

Ken Denton's Tilt-A-Whirl Video

Download a good quality AVI color video of the Tilt-A-Whirl (1.63 MB). This is not a link to a web page, it's a direct download link because it's not displayed on a page anymore, but don't worry, I have permission to link to it.

Chaos at the Amusement Park

Science Frontiers Online.

Tilt-A-Whirl Photo Links