Name: _______________
Class: _______________
Date: ________________
Design Challenge: Way Cool Water Park
Performance Task
A water ride combines the ideas of a waterslide and rollercoaster. Like a waterslide,
stairs are climbed at the start of a water ride, passengers sit on a rubber raft, and the
riders end up splashing into a pool of water. There are both downhill and uphill sections
on a water ride, just like a rollercoaster.
Safety and fun are the primary concerns in designing a water ride. Mathematics,
physics, and engineering concepts are all considered in the design.
You and your design team have been commissioned by the ‘Way Cool Water Park’ to
design a new waterslide.
Questions to Consider:

How long should the water rides be?

At what height above the ground should the riders start?

How can the rides be designed for different thrill levels?

How will you test your rides and measure the results?

Is there a minimum length or a maximum steepness for each uphill or downhill
section?

How do the length and steepness of the sections relate to the time and speed of
each ride?

Where should the supports be under each section of the ride?

What other considerations might need to be made?
Part A: Testing Phase
In this part of the task, you will design and investigate the slopes of some of the uphill
and downhill sections of your rides. It is important to ensure the lengths and slopes of the
downhill sections will allow a rider to make it through any subsequent uphill sections.
By repeatedly testing your designs and recording the results, you will have created data
that can be analyzed and used to modify your rides. Using cardboard tubes and a
marble (or maybe the linerider program), you will model and test different slopes. By
taping two sections of cardboard together and propping them up, you can create
and test different uphill and downhill sections.
You will need:
 a cardboard tube (cut in half lengthwise) (or Bristol board)
 a marble
 tape
 measuring tape
Steps:
1. Use cardboard models and a marble (or linerider) to design a downhill section, followed
by an uphill section. Run three trials with these slopes. For each trial, record how far
the object went up the uphill slope. When you have completed your three trials,
average the data. Record all the information in the table below.
2. Record the slope and length of the downhill section, as well as the slope and length of
the uphill section.
(Repeat step 1 and 2 for five different slopes).
Downhill Section
Length
Slope
Uphill Section
Length
Slope
Distance object travels uphill
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3 Average
Part B: Planning Phase
1. Using the ratios from your testing, draw a scale diagram of your slide. Your
scale drawing should be:
 Proportional to your test results.
 Clearly labelled (all lengths and slopes). How these were determined
should also be clearly shown.
 Calculate the angle of inclination, and percent grade of each uphill
and downhill section. Clearly show how these were determined.
2. Write a paragraph explaining how your testing will ensure that this model
works in real life.
Part C: Testing Phase (optional):
Test your waterslide by constructing a scale model. Does the object make it to
the bottom? If not, why could this be?
Write a summary paragraph reflecting on how well your plan worked. Identify
any inconsistencies with your plan and the real model. Speculate as to what may
have caused these inconsistencies.