Kids Learning Lab · New Episode

The Science of Roller Coasters

Gravity, g-forces, teardrop loops, and the wildest record-breaking rides on Earth. No engine required — just physics.

boltEnergy syncLoops emoji_eventsRecords quizQuiz
attractions
Did you know?

Four things that might surprise you

ac_unit

The very first roller coasters were giant ice slides built in Russia in the 1600s.

terrain

One of America's first coasters wasn't built for fun — it moved coal down a Pennsylvania mountain.

rocket_launch

Astronauts train for weightlessness in a plane nicknamed the "Vomit Comet."

water_drop

Modern loops are shaped like teardrops, not circles — that's what keeps your neck happy.

Try it yourself

Build your own hill

Every coaster runs on one thing: energy conversion. Drag the slider to change the height — and slope — of the lift hill and watch potential energy turn into kinetic energy and speed on the way down.

Potential energy
Kinetic energy
0 mph at the bottom

Tap "Send it down" to release the coaster.

Hall of fame

Wild world records

speedFastest

Formula Rossa

149 mph
Abu Dhabi · 0–149 mph in 4.9 sec
vertical_align_topTallest

Kingda Ka

456 ft
New Jersey, USA
straightenLongest

Steel Dragon 2000

8,133 ft
Japan · ~4 minute ride
syncMost inversions

Verrückt

14 flips
Germany · upside-down 14 times
celebration

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