Image of people on a rollercoaster and image of people going down water slide
Debbie Egan-Chin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images; kali9/Getty Images
Engineering,

Would You Rather Ride the World's Tallest Roller Coaster or the World's Tallest Waterslide?

If you could choose only one, which would you ride?

By Jess McKenna-Ratjen
From the May/June 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will gather and use information about the world’s tallest roller coaster and waterslide to support an argument.

Key Focus Area: Forces and Motion,
Other Focus Areas: Measurement & Data
Standards
  • NGSS
    Core Idea: ETS1.C, ETS2.B, PS2.A, PS2.B
  • CCSS
    Reading: RI.7; Writing: W.1; Speaking and Listening: SL.1; Math: 3.MD.B.3
  • TEKS
    Science: 3.4A, 4.4A, 5.4A, 6.4A; ELA: 3.12C, 4.12C, 5.12C, 6.6I, 6.11C

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As the tallest of their kind,* both roller coaster Kingda Ka in New Jersey and waterslide Kilimanjaro in Brazil offer thrills like no other ride! If you could choose only one, which would you try out this summer?

* Confirmed Guinness World Record holders as of press time

Kingda Ka
Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey, USA

STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images 

HOW TALL?

This coaster towers 456 ft (139 m) high at its top. That’s taller than Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza!

HOW FAST?

Kingda Ka reaches its maximum speed as it shoots riders up its first hill, going from 0 to 128 mph (206 km/h) in only 3.5 seconds!

HOW IT WORKS

Kingda Ka is a hydraulic launch coaster. That means that a fluid under extreme pressure powers its engine. This turns a gear with a cable attached. The cable pulls cars up the tracks. Each train has wheels both above and below the tracks to keep its cars locked on tight.

HOW IT FEELS

Joe McNally/Getty Images

Strap in! You slowly leave the station, then pause. For several seconds, you gaze up at the steep slope of the track. Suddenly, you’re off! You gain speed so quickly, your lips are pushed back from your teeth as you scream. You shoot into the sky at a 90-degree angle, then arch over the top of the hill. Now comes the drop! Gravity yanks you down. You gain so much speed, it pushes you over a second hill. Your body leaves your seat! After less than a minute of twists and turns, it’s over. You did it!

Kilimanjaro
Aldeia Das Águas Park Resort, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Shutterstock.com 

HOW TALL?

Kilimanjaro rises 164 ft (50 m) above its pool. Riders must climb a dizzying 234 steps to reach the top. Nearly 1/3 of potential riders opt out and head back!

HOW FAST?

Riders speed down Kilimanjaro at 57 mph (92 km/h), nearly as fast as a car on the highway. The trip from the top to the bottom takes just 7 seconds!

HOW IT WORKS

Waterslides like Kilimanjaro use flowing water to reduce the rubbing force of friction between a rider’s body and the tube of the slide. Like most slides, Kilimanjaro pumps water from the pool at its bottom up to a pipe at its top. A filter cleans the recycled water.

HOW IT FEELS

Travel Channel

Get ready! Cool water rushes beneath you as you sit at the top of the slide, clutching the metal bar above. A dark tunnel stretches before you. You’re about to enter total darkness! You gather your courage, then use the bar to push yourself forward. You scream as gravity pulls your body down through the dark and into the light. The angle is so steep, it feels like you’re falling with nothing to catch you! Your heels slam through the water, making it gush up in a wave that sprays into your face. Splash! You drop into a deep blue pool. You made it!

What does your class think?

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Skills Activities
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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1. PREPARE TO READ (5 minutes)
Discuss factors that affect decision making.

  • Tell students about a time you did something thrilling, like going on the observation deck of a tall tower. Describe your experience. Let students share a time they tried something that seemed scary but ended up being really fun.
  • Tell students: Imagine you could try out one of the world’s tallest rides. Would you rather ride the tallest roller coaster or the tallest waterslide? (If needed, explain the “Would You Rather . . . ?” game. In this game, a person must make a tricky choice between two things. There isn’t a “right” answer, but you should be able to defend your choice.) Let students record their initial choice and jot down one or two sentences about the reasoning behind their decision.

2. READ AND Evaluate (20 minutes)
Gather information and weigh the evidence.

  • Play the video “Would You Rather Ride the World’s Tallest Roller Coaster or the World’s Tallest Waterslide?” Give students time to change their choice and/or add any new information from the video to their reasoning.
  • Designate one side of the room “tallest roller coaster” and the other side “tallest waterslide.” Tell students they’re allowed to change their mind later, but for now they should go to the side that matches their choice. Do a quick tally of each side and record it on the board. Then have students return to their seats.
  • Read the article aloud. Ask: What information did you find most surprising or interesting? Let students turn and discuss in pairs, and then call for volunteers to share. Ask students: Did your original choice change? If so, why? (Remind students that new information can change one’s mind—as we learn more, our thinking often changes!)

3. RESPOND TO READING (20 minutes)
Write and evaluate an evidence-based opinion.

  • Tell students it’s final decision time! Preview the Explain Your Choice activity. Have students discuss and complete step 1 in groups. Then briefly discuss as a class. Afterward, have students complete steps 2 and 3 independently.
  • Reconvene and tally their final choices. Record results on the board. If desired, have students complete the “Take It Further!” prompt to write a narrative or draw a comic strip where they imagine themselves on one of these record-setting rides.

STEM INTEGRATION

MATH: Gather, graph, and analyze data (CCSS Math: 3.MD.B.3)

Preview the Make a Bar Graph activity, supporting students with the steps if needed. Have students complete the activity independently, giving them time to poll others. Afterward, hold a class discussion about their results.

ENGINEERING: Design and test a thrill ride (NGSS: ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C)

Arrange students in groups of three or four and have them decide if they’d rather design a roller coaster or a waterslide. Discuss what fun, thrilling elements their design should have (its criteria) and its limitations (e.g., materials and time to make the design). Have students sketch a design and share it with you. Then they can build a model of their ride, using simple materials like tape, scissors, cardboard tubes, construction paper, and paper cups. Have students test their designs with marbles, then have them make improvements. Finally, have them present their final design to the class.

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