Science in action

High-speed plunges, twists and turns, loop-the-loops: When it comes to roller coasters, thrill seekers can’t get enough.

There aren’t any permanent coasters in the islands, but Bishop Museum’s latest traveling exhibit will teach keiki about the science behind the beloved amusement park rides and also give them a chance to experience some of the gut-churning action.

Scream Machines, an exhibit designed by the Ontario Science Center, opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 11.

Mike Shanahan, Bishop Museum’s director of visitor experience, said the centerpiece of the exhibit is the Revolver, a rotating room that measures about 12 feet in diameter.

While the room is rotating, the operator will give a 10-minute presentation about "what happens when your energy is bent, whether you’re in room like that or on a roller-coaster track," Shanahan said.

One interactive exercise includes rolling a ball from one end to the other, aiming to where the target will be when the ball gets there.

"It’s the same principle of firing a spaceship to Pluto," Shanahan said. "You aim for where Pluto’s going to be when the spaceship gets there, not where Pluto is when you launch your rocket."

Keiki can get a taste of riding real-life roller coasters with Ride the Great Ones, a mild motion simulator with a screen that shows what it’s like to ride five roller coasters from across North America, including The Comet from Great Escape in New York and the Thunderbolt from Kennywood Park in Pennsylvania.

When visitors enter Scream Machines, one of the first displays to catch their eye will be The Black Plague, an elaborately designed model roller coaster that is about 1/20th the size of the real thing.

At about 8 feet wide and 4 1/2 feet tall, the metal model is fully operational, Shanahan said, but is more of a fantasy design, with a whirlpool hill, two teardrop loops and a double corkscrew.

"The speeds are so great that if it were a real roller coaster, it would be over eight G’s," he said.

To put that in context, high-speed roller coasters typically have gravitational forces in the four- to six-G range.

Scream Machines includes an interactive area where kids can design their own roller-coaster ride using physics to pick the optimal twists and inversions.

With all the fun of roller coasters comes the less appealing side — motion sickness. One section of the exhibit is dedicated to the gross subject, explaining the biology of why some get a bit queasy on roller-coaster rides.