What Goes Up Must
Come Down
Roller Coaster Physics
Sit back and relax for the ride of
your life. You will be traveling
forwards and backwardsThrough a disorientating trip of
cork screw turns and upsidedown loops! Don’t hold your
breath to long or scream to loud
because roller coaster physics
will be a thrill!!!!
Task
Your task is to research the
history and design of roller
coasters with the use of
terms relating to Newton’s
Laws of motion and force.
Once you feel confident in
your research your team is
responsible for naming and
designing the world’s
fastest and most exciting
roller coaster.
Process
This web-quest should be completed in groups of 3-5 people and
will be completed in 8 days. The first 3 days of class will be spent in
the computer lab finding your research. This research will be
compiled into a group PowerPoint presentation. Day 4 will be used
completing an interactive roller coaster lab. The next 3 days you will
be building your roller coaster either on the computer or a scale
model with your own materials. On the final day, your group will be
presenting your PowerPoint presentation and roller coaster to class.
Each person in your group will be given a task to choose from:
1) Newtonian Physicist
2) Roller Coaster Enthusiast/Historian
3) Roller Coaster Designer/Architect
4) Engineer/Safety Coordinator
Newtonian Physicist
o This person will be researching Sir Issac Newton, Newton’s
Three Laws of Motion, and vocabulary that relates to the
three laws.
o Some key terms are listed below:
*Newton’s 1st Law of Motion
*Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion
*Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion
*centrifugal force
*Biography of Sir Issac Newton
*Acceleration
*Inertia
*Force
*Friction
*Centripetal Force
*Velocity
*Kinetic Energy
*Gravity
*Potential Energy
*centripetal force
*Speed
*G Force
Roller Coaster
Enthusiast/Historian
 This person will research the history of roller coasters.
When and where were the first roller coasters first created?
When and where was the first roller coaster in the US?
 How they have changed over the years?
Why the best roller coasters are the best and the worst
roller coasters are the worst?
 You will also compile pictures and information describing
some of the most popular roller coasters ever built.
(Statistics of some of the most popular roller coasters must
also be included in your information)
You may add any information about roller coasters that you
have been on.
Roller Coaster
Designer/Architect
This person will investigate the
components and styles of roller
coasters.
Questions to be answered could
include (but are not limited to):
Roller Coasters are made of what
materials? The process individuals
must take to design roller coaster.
What styles are the most popular
and the least popular?
You must include pictures and
diagrams of various roller coasters
you felt were the most exciting to
research.
Engineer/Safety Coordinator
This person will compile
mathematical formulas and
terminology to be used in the
designing of the roller
coaster.(hint: find Emotion, E
position, Etotalmotion)
They will also research
safety, insurance, and liability
issues involved in the building
of roller coasters.
Virtual Roller Coaster
Once you have finished your research and PowerPoint, go to
the link below which will take you to a virtual roller coaster.
You need to make the roller coaster loop the loop.
You should complete 10 attempts on the virtual roller coaster.
Change the physics variables each trial and create a log of the
settings you used on your own paper. Click the trial log below
to see an example. Discuss how each setting affected the
results positively or negatively and why?
You will turn in your trials on the day you present.
Funderstanding
Trial Log
Trial Log
1)Explain your settings (or change from last trial)
2)Did the roller coaster complete its run
Circle yes or no
3)Was the result better than the last trial?
Circle yes or no
4) Why or why not?
Designing Your Roller Coaster
Once the trials are completed, your group has enough information to
design and build your own roller coaster.
Your group needs to decide if you would like to build a roller coaster on
the computer or a model of a roller coaster with your own material.
Be sure to determine the heights of the hill, how many hills, number of
loops, turns, and etc.
Once the roller coaster is designed, the group needs to get all of their
information, trials, powerpoint, sketches, and questions together and be
ready to present to the class.
Make sure you NAME your roller coaster before the presentation. If time
allows make a sign.
Group Questions
Answer these questions when your project is completely finished.
1)Describe when and how each of Newton’s Laws of Motion are acting on a person
riding a roller coaster.
2) Can the coaster have too much speed at the beginning of the trial? Explain.
3) Why do roller coasters always start out by pulling you up a big hill?
4)
When does a coaster have a large amount of Kinetic Energy and when does it
have a large amount of Potential Energy?
5)
What would happen if there was something on the track, which caused a lot of
friction between the car, and the track?
6)
When are riders most affected by centripetal force?
7) What would happen to a roller coaster if gravity was suddenly increased or
decreased?
8)
What does it mean if you “pull 3 g’s” in a loop?
Resources
Worlds of Fun
Inventing the Scream Machine
How Stuff Works
Funderstanding
Discovery
Amusement Park Physics
History of Roller Coasters
Discovery: Build a Roller Coaster
History
Roller Coaster Database
Evaluation
Rubric
Conclusion
CONGRATULATIONS! You have researched and designed an extreme
roller coaster. Hopefully, this activity has given some insight why roller
coasters are thrilling examples of the Laws of Motion. Don’t be scared
because now you understand why your body reacts the way it does to
gravity, acceleration, and fast changes in direction. Now, go ride the biggest
and the baddest roller coasters, if you dare!