Roller Coaster Physics
ROLLER COASTER PHYSICS
6.PS.1 Distinguish between the terms position, distance, and displacement, as well as, the terms speed
and velocity.
6.PS.2 Describe the motion of an object graphically showing the relationship between time and position
6.PS.3 Describe how potential and kinetic energy can be transferred from one form to another.
Targets:
●
●
●
Explain in physics terms how a roller coaster works
Use the principle of conservation of energy to explain the layout of roller
coasters.
Identify points in a roller coaster track at which a car has maximum kinetic
energy and maximum potential energy.
ROLLER COASTER PHYSICS
Targets:
Success Criteria:
SLIDE INDEX - links to slide
est:
10+d
ays
Introduction
(1 day)
Trials: 1 Hill
Explore &
Resources
Trials: 2 Hill
Explore
Trials: 1 loop
Explore
(1-2 days)
(1 day)
Student
worksheets
Article
(formative)
Lesson Resources
(1-2 days)
Standards
Targets &
SC
Intro
Challenge
Vocabulary
Team Roles
History
Rubric
Content Resources
●
DRT- Calculating Speed
●
Potential & Kinetic Energy Resources
○
Review slides, brainpops, roller coaster simulation
●
Charting Roller Coaster Potential & Kinetic Energy
●
Forces - Gravity, Friction, & Inertia Resources
●
Distance and Displacement
●
Roller Coaster Loops
Dream Job:
Designing...
1 Hill-trial tables&
graph worksheets
Graph maker
*Energy Screams
(formative)
*Everyday Mysteries:
Why Don’t I Fall out
of... (formative)
2 Hill-trial tables&
graph worksheets
Loop Trial table &
graph worksheets
Prototype
Planning
& diagram
Prototype
Design, Build,
test, redesign
Final
Trials,
evaluation
(1 day)
(4 days)
(1 day)
Coaster
Planning
Coaster Building
Peer
Evaluation
Lab slides:
Ask,
research,
imagine,
plan
Lab slides:
Test & evaluate,
improve &
redesign
Class trials
Peer
evaluations
INTRODUCTION
●
●
●
●
●
Review Challenge
Vocabulary
Groups define roles
History of Roller Coaster
Dream Jobs: Designing Thrilling Rides - formative
CHALLENGE
Team:
● design & engineer a roller coaster using the materials provided by your
teacher
● Use & monitor accountability talk & success criteria
Roller Coaster Requirements
● 1+ hill(s) and 1 loop (turns are optional)
● The marble must remain on the track the entire time
● The marble must be powered by its potential energy
Materials:
● 3- 6’ foam tubing tracks
● 1 team marble
● toothpicks
ROLLER COASTER VOCABULARY
Engineer – A person who uses math, science, and their creativity to design something to solve a problem
Design – The plan for making something, the process of figuring out how to construct something
Criteria – What you have to do
Constraints – What you can not do Speed – How far an object moves in a given time
Force ‐ A push or a pull that acts on an object
Gravity ‐ The natural force that pulls objects toward each other. On Earth, all objects are pulled towards
the center of Earth.
Energy – The ability to do work Potential Energy – The position of an object above the Earth’s surface.
Kinetic Energy – The energy of motion
Conservation of Energy - energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be altered from one form to
another.
TEAM WORK
create your roles or use the ones on the following slide
Create your roles MUSTS:
● Teams agree upon roles & responsibilities for this project
● Teams agree upon accountability talk/questions for this project. List your roles and the
accountability talk/questions in the table below:
Team Member
Role - responsibility
Accountability Talk/Questions
TEAM WORK
Accountability Leader
Responsible ensuring
team members are
accountable for…
●
their determined
roles
●
using
accountability
talk
●
staying focused
Accountable Talk:
●
What is the task?
●
Read your role
responsibilities.
●
Which role fits
that job best?
●
Please use your
accountable talk.
Head Designer
Responsible for ensuring ...
●
the team design
includes ideas from
ALL members.
●
the design is
organized.
●
each member is
assigned a part of the
design.
●
Accountable Talk:
●
What ideas do you
have for the design?
●
How can we put our
ideas together?
●
Let’s compromise.
●
Does that design idea
fit the task?
●
You are in charge of
this part of the plan.
Resource Manager
Understanding Coordinator
Laison for the group.
Responsible for ...
●
ensuring the team has
access to all materials
needed
●
Searching for answers
on the web, asking the
teacher, or asking
another team.
responsible for ensuring
team members are …
●
using and checking the
success criteria
●
Following directions
●
making connections
between ideas
●
calculating accurately
●
justifying reasons
Accountable Talk:
●
Let’s check our success
criteria.
●
Are we sure about that?
Tell me why? What if?
Has somebody
double-checked that?
●
Does everyone
understand the
explanation?
Accountable Talk:
●
What materials does
the team need me to
get?
●
Would it be useful to
have some
_________?
●
Should I do a search
to help us?
●
Does the team agree I
need to ask another
team our question?
●
Roller Coaster History
The History of Roller Coaster Timeline
The History of Roller Coaster Timeline 2
The National Roller Coaster Museum
READING ASSIGNMENT
Dream Jobs: Designing Thrilling Rides
Task:
1. Team members read and complete the questions.
EVALUATION
CONTENT RESOURCES
● DRT- Calculating Speed
● Potential & Kinetic Energy Resources
○ Review slides, brainpops, roller coaster simulation
● Charting Roller Coaster Potential & Kinetic Energy
● Forces - Gravity, Friction, & Inertia Resources
● Distance and Displacement
● Trials: 1 Hill Team Worksheets
● Roller Coaster Physics
Distance, Rate, and Time
Potential and Kinetic Energy!
● Potential and Kinetic Energy Review Slides
● BrainPop - Potential Energy
● BrainPop - Kinetic Energy
Roller Coaster Simulation: Potential & Kinetic Energy
Roller Coasters: Potential and Kinetic Energy!
The coaster on the right will
possess both kinetic and potential
energy as it moves through the ride.
At each point, state which form of
energy would be highest:
W- Potential or Kinetic
X- Potential or Kinetic
Y- Potential or Kinetic
Z- Potential or Kinetic
Explain each answer
Gravity, Friction, & Inertia
Gravity, Friction, & Inertia Review Slides
Brainpop- Forces
Brainpop: Gravity
Brainpop- Newton’s Laws of Motion
Reading:
NASA - What is gravity?
Distance - the actual length of the path
between two points (location)
Displacement - difference between
the final position and initial position
(shortest distance) (locations).
What are some real life variables that
might lead us to not take the shortest
path?
Think about walking to the store from
your home. Why wouldn’t you just
take the shortest path….a straight
line?!
ROLLER COASTER LOOPS
STUDENT TRIAL SHEETS
Distance (length of track in inches)
Time (in seconds)
Speed = distance divided by time (must include unit of measure!)
Unit of Measure:
Inches Per Second - IPS
SPEED TRIALS: 1 HILL
Team
Name
Role
Task:
Explore the relationship between the height of your track and the
time it takes your marble to reach the end of the track. Each team
will conduct 3 trials with 1 hill at different heights
TEAMS….
1.
determine roles
2.
decide on the height of the track and secure the track at
that height
3.
Measure the length of your track
4.
time the path of the marble to the end of your track. This
will take meticulous team effort to time as precisely as
possible!
5.
record results on trial sheet.
6.
discuss and note any observations of test irregularities in
the notes section
Question(s) to think about during each trial:
What patterns did you observe related to the height and time of
your trials?
At what height was your marble the fastest?
How does the potential and kinetic energy play a part in the
speed of your marble?
Be ready to share your answers.
EXAMPLE
Distance
(length
of track
in
inches)
Time
1
72”
2
Rate
(distance ÷ time)
Notes
SPEED TRIALS: Start Hill
IPS = inches per
second
Start Height
Average
Speed
5 sec
14.4 IPS
1
14.46 IPS
72”
4.6
sec
15.65 IPS
3
72”
5.4
sec
13.33 IPS
1
72”
2
72”
3
72”
1
72”
2
72”
3
72”
Start height 22”
Start height
18”
Start height
12”
Trial
2
3
12”
Distance
(length of
track in
inches)
Start height
Start height
Trial
Rate
(distance
÷ time)
IPS =
inches per
second
Notes
SPEED TRIALS: Start Hill
Start Height
1
1
2
2
3
3
1
2
3
Start height
Time
1
2
3
Average
Speed
SPEED TRIAL: 1 HILL REFLECTION
Teams must complete this summary after time trials are completed.
Be ready to share your answers.
What patterns did you observe related to the height and time of your trials?
At what height was your marble the fastest?
How does the potential and kinetic energy play a part in the speed of your marble?
SPEED TRIALS:1 HILL- Graphing your results
1.
Teams the average of each trial and record them on a graph using Graph maker .
2.
3.
4.
create your graph and save the image to copy onto this page.
Use the insert shape function to place circles on the graph according to the distance and time.
Use the insert shape function to place lines on the graph to connect your dots.
SPEED TRIAL: 2 HILL REFLECTION
To start your 2 Hill Trial, Copy
these slides and add to your
team’s shared slides
SPEED TRIALS: 2 HILL
Team
Name
Role
Task:
Explore the relationship between the height of your track and the
time it takes your marble to the end of the track. Each team will
conduct 3 trials with 2 hills at different heights
TEAMS….
1.
determine roles
2.
decide on the height of the track and secure the track at
that height
3.
determine the position & height of second hill
4.
Record track length
5.
time the path of the marble end of your track. This will
take meticulous team effort to time as precisely as
possible!
6.
record results on trial sheet.
7.
discuss and note any observations of test irregularities in
the notes section
Question(s) to think about during each trial:
What patterns did you observe related to the starting height, 2nd
hill height, and time of your trials?
Be ready to share your answers.
Distance
(length of
track in
inches)
Time
Rate
(distance
÷ time)
Height
of 1st
hill
Height
of 2nd
Hill
Notes
SPEED TRIALS: 2 Hill
Start Height
Trial
Start height
1
2
2
3
Start height
1
2
3
1
Start height
1
2
3
3
Average
Speed
SPEED TRIAL: 2 HILL REFLECTION
Teams must complete this summary after time trials are completed. Review the vocabulary slide to use the physics
terms to help you complete the summary.
Be ready to share your answers.
What patterns did you observe related to the starting height, 2nd hill height, and time of your trials?
SPEED TRIALS:2 HILL- Graphing your results
1.
Teams the average of each trial and record them on a graph using Graph maker .
2.
3.
4.
create your graph and save the image to copy onto this page.
Use the insert shape function to place circles on the graph according to the distance and time.
Use the insert shape function to place lines on the graph to connect your dots.
SPEED TRIALS:2 HILL- Diagraming results & noting potential and
kinetic energy points.
1.
2.
Draw a diagram of your most successful roller coaster below
Diagrams must be accurately displayed using height of starting point, height of hill, length of track in between
hills, etc.
3.
Label the PE and KE points on your diagram.
LOOP TRIAL
To start your Loop Trial, Copy
these slides and add to your
team’s shared slides
Task:
Explore the relationship between the height of your track and the
time it takes your marble to reach the end of the track. Each team
will conduct 3 trials with 1 loop at different heights
LOOP TRIAL
Team
Name
Role
TEAMS….
1.
determine roles
2.
decide on the height of the track and secure the track at
that height
3.
determine the position, height, and width of loop
4.
Place your cup at the end of your track
5.
time the path of the marble to the end of your track.. This
will take meticulous team effort to time as precisely as
possible!
6.
record results on trial sheet.
7.
discuss and note any observations of test irregularities in
the notes section
Questions to think about during each trial:
Distance Time
(length of
track in
inches)
Trial
Start height
1
2
3
Start height
1
2
3
Start height
1
2
3
Rate
(distance
÷ time)
Height
of loop
Width
of loop
Notes
1 LOOP TRIALS
Start Height
Average
Speed
LOOP TRIAL: REFLECTION
Teams must complete this summary after time trials are completed. Review the vocabulary slide to use the physics
terms to help you complete the summary.
Be ready to share your answers.
What patterns did you observe related to the starting height, size & location of your loop, and time of your trials?
LOOP TRIALS:Graphing your results
1.
Teams the average of each trial and record them on a graph using Graph maker .
2.
3.
4.
create your graph and save the image to copy onto this page.
Use the insert shape function to place circles on the graph according to the distance and time.
Use the insert shape function to place lines on the graph to connect your dots.
LOOP TRIAL: Diagraming results & noting potential and kinetic
energy points.
1.
2.
Draw a diagram of your most successful roller coaster below
Diagrams must be accurately displayed using height of starting point, height of hill, length of track in between
hills, etc.
3.
Label the PE and KE points on your diagram.
STUDENT LABS:
Designing & Building
page for each E&D step
Engineering and Design: ASK
What is the problem/Identify the problem?
What are the criteria/requirements?
What are the constraints/limits?
Engineering and Design: RESEARCH
Engineering and Design: IMAGINE
❏
Review rubric and success criteria while deciding on design items
❏
Brainstorm Ideas for your team coaster. Choose your design items below:
❏ Height of starting point _____
❏ Loops (1+) ____
❏ Twists _____
❏ Turns/curve_____
❏ Hills (1+) _____
❏
Record other ideas below:
Engineering and Design: PLAN
PROTOTYPE SKETCH
Musts:
title
detailed illustration
accurate measurement
PE points labeled
KE points labeled
Test and Evaluate
Improve and Redesign
(as needed)
Why is potential energy so important
in your roller coaster?
How could you change your coasters
potential energy?
How could friction impact your
coaster both negatively and positively?
What is needed to