Learn about energy on National Rollercoaster Day

It’s National Rollercoaster Day! And as thrilling as rollercoasters are, it’s also thrilling to understand the science behind the ride.

Rollercoasters rely on a principle known as potential energy to work. Potential energy is the energy that an object has due to its position. For example, a rollercoaster car at the top of a hill has potential energy because it has the ability to move downward. This potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, or the energy of motion, when the rollercoaster car starts to move.

The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is what gives rollercoasters their thrilling speeds. Rollercoasters must be designed with a very steep first drop to achieve these high speeds. This ensures that a large amount of potential energy can be converted into kinetic energy. The first drop is usually the tallest point on the rollercoaster track.

As the cars start up the next hill, their kinetic energy is converted back into potential energy. The steeper the hill, the more potential energy the cars will have at the top. And that potential energy will be converted back into kinetic energy as the cars speed down the next hill.

This process of converting potential energy to kinetic energy and back again happens repeatedly as the rollercoaster cars race around the track. And this back-and-forth conversion of energy gives rollercoasters their thrilling ride!

For more information on energy and rollercoasters, check out this interactive diagram from PBS. The BBC also has a great video on rollercoasters: