Name: _____________________
Roller Coaster Project
PROJECT OVERVIEW: In partners, you are going to design a roller coaster when given 2 pieces of foam
board, hot glue and a tennis ball. The objective is to design a roller coaster with three or more hills. You must
start the ball at the top of the first hill, and it must roll over 2 more hills.
OBJECTIVE: You are competing against your class to make a roller coaster that has the greatest amount of
total energy measured through the sum of all of your potential energies at each hill (measured trough to
peak for each hill) throughout the coaster. The initial potential energy(the first hill) does not count. This will
only be able to be accomplished through a thorough understanding of the transfers between potential and
kinetic energy. Only those coasters that have the ball transfer all the way to the end will be eligible to win.
HINTS: You should look up these 2 concepts when designing your roller coaster (both on your webquest)
~1st Law of Thermodynamics (Law of Conservation of Energy)
~2nd Law of Thermodynamics
GRADING: Your grade will depend on the 5 components.
 Part 1 will be for the performance based on your classmates’ projects. (15 points)
 Part 2 will be for the overall planning on back. (5points)
 Part 3 will be for overall design…how much did you consider the 2 Laws/questions below (10 points)
 Part 4 will be daily individual participation grade. (15 points)
 Part 5 will be based on your Analysis Questions Lab (15 points)
Total Points ______/55
PARAMETERS:
 You only get 2 pieces of board. NO MORE, EVEN IF YOU BUY IT! Can’t use someone else’s scraps.
 Your coaster must stand on its own.
 Need at least 3 hills (including starting hill), but you can have more if you can plan it
 Your ball must stay on the track the entire time…falling off is a disqualification and a zero for part 1.
 There must be something at the end that successfully stops your ball.
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:
 You must cut out 2 identical pieces (1 per foam board) and those together will be your roller coaster.
 From the excess cardboard cutout spacers to glue the 2 sides of the roller coaster together.
 PLANNING IS KEY!!!! MAGIC OR TRAGIC!!!
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE DESIGNING BASED ON 2 LAWS ABOVE:
 Can all the hills be the same height? If not, must they get bigger or smaller? Think why…
 How will you determine how many and how tall the hills should be to win the contest?
 Does the steepness of the hill count? Is it better to make steep hills or not so steep?
 How curvy should the tops of the hills be? The valleys?
 Is it better to have sharp or smooth hills and valleys?
 What provides resistance to the tennis ball and makes it slow down? How can this be reduced?
 How does kinetic energy play a role here?
 How can design your coaster to maximize your potential energy in your 2nd and 3rd hill.
LAWS: Below I want you to define both laws, and write a detailed explanation how each could have an impact
on your roller coaster.
1st Law of Thermodynamics (Law of Conservation of Energy):
2nd Law of Thermodynamics:
DESIGN SKETCH: Make sure to consider ALL THE QUESTIONS ON 1st PAGE when you are designing. Try
to draw to scale as best as possible. Label any important parts that will help you in the design phase. Consider
putting measurements. DRAW IN PENCIL!!! You are getting a 5 point grade for this section. Good Luck
Froggers!