When a roller coaster climbs up a hill what happens to its potential energy?

As the roller coaster starts to climbs the hill, the potential energy increases again. The potential energy reaches its maximum point when the roller coaster makes it to the top of the hill. At this point, you begin your descent down the first hill. This is where the potential energy transforms into kinetic energy.



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Traditionally, the coaster cars are pulled up the first hill by a chain; as the cars climb, they gain potential energy. At the top of the hill, the cars have a great deal of gravitational potential energy, equal to the cars' weight multiplied by the height of the hill.

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The train of coaster cars speeds up as they lose height. Thus, their original potential energy (due to their large height) is transformed into kinetic energy (revealed by their high speeds).

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Introduction. A roller coaster is a machine that uses gravity and inertia to send a train of cars along a winding track. The combination of gravity and inertia, along with g-forces and centripetal acceleration give the body certain sensations as the coaster moves up, down, and around the track.

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Essentially, the higher up the boulder is on the hill, the more gravitational potential energy it has. As it rolls downhill, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy (as we discussed earlier).

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