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Why is the first hill of a roller coaster always the highest?
Energizing Everything Unit | Lesson 3 of 5
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Why is the first hill of a roller coaster always the highest?

Energizing Everything Unit | Lesson 3 of 5
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Discuss:

The first hill of a roller coaster is always the highest. Why can't the second or third hill be higher than the first?

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Discuss:
Why does the marble make it over the lower hill: lowertrack

but not the higher one? highertrack

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Time check!

The following Bumper Coaster activity will take about an hour.

If your time is limited, you might want to save the activity for your next science lesson.

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the Exploration & Activity which you just completed.
# Online Resource: Roller Coaster Simulations

On these sites, students can experiment with roller coasters on the computer, testing their theories and trying different designs.

A simple roller coaster game from PBS Kids lets students experiment with the basics.

A more powerful simulation lets students add and change the height of hills and loops, testing the coaster to see what works. This simulation was created by Funderstanding, a website dedicated to providing inspiring resources.

# Activity: Build a roller coaster

Have students build roller coasters of their own design, using foam rubber tracks and working in teams of four.

You’ll find simple instructions and inspiration for your students at PBS Kids. At the bottom of the page, there are pdfs of instructions in both English and Spanish.

To become an instant expert on foam tube coasters, read these coaster-building instructions, complete with common mistakes and trouble-shooting tips. They were created by by an engineering teacher who works in afterschool programs.

# Activity: Science of Swinging

Explore energy using a playground swing. Swinging with Style gives students a chance to burn off energy while learning science. They will gather data in the playground, then graph and analyze their results in the classroom.

Science of Swinging is a more extended exploration of pendulums. It provides detailed background information for the teacher.

Both resources were created by Teach Engineering, a digital library of classroom science resources complied by university educators with National Science Foundation support.

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Lesson Image
red coaster arch by Jeremy Thompson , used under CC BY
Exploration
Blue fire roller coaster by Bernard Kowalski , used under CC BY
Intimidator layout by Kings Dominion
Behemoth layout by Canada's Wonderland
kids on swing by Julian and Stephanie Fong
bowling ball by Matthew , used under CC BY
bowling ball demo by Kenneth Harden
Dylan swinging high by Sandra C
Activity
ducklings by John Morgan , used under CC BY
ruler by JohannPoufPouf
pencil by Charm
Credits

Featured Reviews

“The simple set up and step by step directions.”
· Margaret · Teacher
“The students were completely engaged and loved it!”
· Mary · Teacher
“Students were engaged - and a very affordable project for teachers. Thank you.”
· Beverly · Teacher
“Students are so enthralled with the lesson itself! It really prepares them for the activity that follows!”
· Virginia · Teacher
“It was so much fun, and students were able to clearly explain what they've learned about energy.”
· Cynthia · Teacher
“What a great day! The students had to rework and retape to make it work (we are on carpet). It was awesome seeing their scientific minds at work!”
· Catherine · Teacher
“talk about engagement!!! I have so many new roller coaster designs in my email inbox from all of my little engineers!”
· Breland · Teacher
“We loved building the bumper coaster!”
· Wende · Homeschooler
“The steps and video examples were spectacular!”
· Maggie · Teacher
“Videos were great. Experiment was high interest!”
· Lee · Teacher
“Not only do students really engage in these lessons, they are learning in the process!”
· Pamela · Teacher
“Kids loved it! I liked the engagement with the topic! Great hook to keep them focused!”
· Leslie · Teacher
“Very engaging for my students. After they finished the experiment, they enjoyed trying various ways to get the marble into the cup.”
· Dominic · Teacher
“This was a great follow up to Energy Mystery #2. We left our coasters/"alligator" cups set up from the previous mystery. About half my class was able to successfully build the coaster in small groups, but the other half had trouble constructing it. There were some frustrated students (most of whom were not following along with the directions on the screen). If I were to reteach this lesson, I would first model as a teacher how to build the coaster, then perhaps the next day have kids construct it. This mystery does take more than an hour, so if I were pressed for time I might also just construct one or two coasters and have small groups rotate through those, while the other students work on building their coasters. That would provide more time for me to close out the lesson with a group discussion, I would rate this as "challenging" but the kids did enjoy learning about energy and motion. Science isn't always easy, but it is worthwhile! ”
· Amber · Teacher
“They loved creating their roller coasters. As a bonus they designed new examples using more than one piece of 6 foot tubing and tested them out , filmed them , and watched in slow motion. Then they fixed any areas and tested again. So fun and what great scientific thinking.”
· · Teacher
“The kids loved experimenting with the coaster tracks after the lesson ended. My student definitely understood the idea of the kinetic energy not being greater than the initial. They enjoyed the link to the engineering game. They also tried to get enough energy generated to create a loop the loop coaster. Which they did, by increasing the initial drop height to gain enough energy to get around the loop. Great connection of ideas.”
· Ally · Homeschooler
“They loved the chance to make hills in their roller coasters this week! It also made me smile when I heard a student talking to another about the amount of "energy" when describing his roller coaster. I loved how he was using the vocabulary. ”
· Christine · Teacher
“I gave the kids extra time to experiment with loops at the end of the lesson and they had a blast! This lesson also shows them how many things can go wrong and how they need to be fixed to make the coaster more effective. (I.e., a curve in the track or it leaning to the side, etc.). It is very worth while and looking forward to doing it again next year!”
· Catherine · Teacher
“One class had trouble, building because we had to leave our project standing for 45 min. to go to PE, I don't recommend taking a break in the middle of the lab-give it a full, continuous 45-1 hour! The other class really got into it and screamed with delight when our marble made it to the cup! Unbelievable!”
· Christy · Teacher
“With some pointers from my colleague, who had completed the mystery the day before, it went very well. We had to do the trials on a smooth surface b/c the tape didn't stick to the carpet. We also put textbooks under the hills to provide stability. With those adjustments, the experience was excellent.”
· Lisa · Teacher
“Some of my kids had a hard time getting the hills just right so that the marbles would go in. I wasn't sure if they needed to be a certain distance away from one another. It was ok though because it opened up some great conversations about how to solve unforeseen problems! Great mystery! ”
· Eleanor · Teacher
“It appeared that time management would be challenging but the pacing worked well. The students enjoyed putting the learning together. Some students had extra time and created other experiments using longer tracks and extra marbles. I am sure that all students have a good understanding about height and the relationship to energy in this scenario. The extras were fun as well.”
· Edward · Teacher
“Amazing! It's simply amazing how this complex lesson ties all the other Energy Mysteries together! The children's involvement and discussions were very rich in both vocabulary and thought. I'm very impressed with how well these Mysteries are planned out and how user friendly they are. Thank you.”
· · Teacher
“Although we had inconsistent results, this was actually an opportunity to show the value of doing an experiment many times and determining where things might work versus where they would never work. (We didn't always get both marbles in even when starting in the "sweet spots.")”
· Kate · Homeschooler
“Another great mystery - the bowling ball & swing tie-ins and videos were especially captivating. However, because they kids were SO excited to go beyond the prescribed activity, I changed the lab to more of a STEM task in which the kids used 12' of tubing and designed their own roller-coaster. One that had to have at least three features (hills, loops, curves) and still all four marbles (starter + 3 targets) had to make it to the end of the ride. This was a hit. They had lots of fun trying to make loops where the marbles stayed on the track & still made it to the end.”
· Wynne · Teacher
“The yells and cheers were interrupting the other classrooms. I think thats a win!! ”
· Teresa · Teacher
“Students had a hard time making the hills stand up but it was all worth the time and energy to do the trials. Thanks for a great lesson. ”
· Jill · Teacher
“Delightful, informative, and fun! Thank you!”
· Stacy · Teacher
“The students loved the video of the self made amusement park! It gave them lots of ideas that they would like to design for their roller coaster!”
· Shonda · Teacher
“Incredible lesson, all levels of my class were able to feel successful!”
· Stephanie · Teacher
“The videos did such a great job explaining the concepts to the kids that when it came time for independent exploration, the kids went crazy! Groups joined together to create massive roller coasters in the classroom. They had loops and bumps, and kids didn't just try to make the most outrageous coaster that they could -- instead they worked together using the principles of energy to ensure that the marble would make it from start to finish. It was amazing to see. ”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“The best part of this lesson was that it gave enough information for my class to be well prepared for the activity but left the final conclusions up to them to discover which they enjoyed immensely. Another fine lesson! Thank you Mystery Science!”
· Peggy · Teacher
“The students loved to make predictions regarding the various placements of the target marble.”
· John · Other
“The kids exploring different methods to make the marble complete the whole track! Lots of learning going on!”
· Susan · Teacher
“They already had some good predictions due to having done the other experiments.”
· Bonnie · Teacher
“I love how easy the mystery science lesson is to follow. The videos are very informative but also not too long where the students lose interest. Easy for the teacher to teach and follow, and easy for the students to learn and have fun. Win win!”
· Terry · Homeschooler

Grade 4

Energy & Energy Transfer

Energy & Collisions

4-PS3-3

Activity Prep

Print Prep
To view a revised version of this lesson, please click here.
In this Mystery, students will explore how high the hills of a roller coaster can be. In the activity, students add hills to the Bumper Coaster they built in Mystery 2 and experiment to build a deeper understanding of hills and energy.
Preview activity

Step 1: Plan your time.

In this Mystery, the Exploration takes about 20 minutes. The activity takes about 1 hour to complete from start to finish. In the activity, students build a bumper coaster with hills and experiment to build a deeper understanding of hills and energy.

Decide if you need to allocate two science classes to the Exploration and Activity. Another option would be to set up a demonstration bumper coaster with hills at the front of the class and complete the experimentation as a class.

Step 2: Label the foam tracks.

This will take about 20 minutes. Print out and follow the Teacher Prep Instructions .

You will need:

  • the foam tracks that your class used in Mystery 2.
  • a yardstick, tape measure, or ruler
  • masking tape
  • a pen that will write on masking tape
  • enough space on a table or floor to set up tracks side by side

Step 3: Gather other supplies.

Each group of 3 students will need:

  • a labeled foam track
  • a stack of books or a box to make a hill that’s 12” tall
  • two 20” strips of masking tape (If you're working on a carpet, use wide masking tape.)
  • a ruler
  • a paper or Styrofoam cup
  • 2 small marbles (⅝” is the standard size)

Each student will need:

You will also need:

  • the Answer Key for the Bumper Coaster with Hills Worksheet

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

60 mins

Grade 4

Energy & Energy Transfer

Energy & Collisions

4-PS3-3

Extend this lesson

Assessments

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