ROller Coaster PRoject
Roller coasters are exciting and thrilling. They have hills and valleys and loops and corkscrews and and and!
Many areas of physics are involved in designing, testing, and building a roller coaster, including motion, forces, and electricity.
For your roller coaster, you will focus on motion and the kinematic equations and graphs we have been studying.
Many areas of physics are involved in designing, testing, and building a roller coaster, including motion, forces, and electricity.
For your roller coaster, you will focus on motion and the kinematic equations and graphs we have been studying.
Objective:
- Build a rollercoaster that moves a marble from the beginning of the ride to the end where it stops
Materials:
- The track is only made of pipe insulation and duct tape.
- You may use your own materials for support only (hold up hills, valleys down, etc)
- Car (marble) provided by the teacher
Constraints
Extra only if everything else is completed (This will only be looked at if the basic requirements are filled.)
- Once the car is released, neither the car nor the track can be touched. (No pushes, pulls, jiggles, etc.)
- Track must be no less than 12 feet and no longer than 18 feet.
- The track should be sturdy and well put together well. (Sturdy enough to move from your work area to the test site-must be transportable to test site without reassembly)
- There can be nothing on the track except for the car. (Imagine you are in the car.)
- The car starts from rest at the height of the table. (This will be the same for everyone.)
- There must be 2 hills after the start and a horizontal ending platform.
- Your car must remain on the track throughout the run, and the car should not run off the end of the track, it should stop on the track.
- The car should end on the platform at rest without harming the passengers.
Extra only if everything else is completed (This will only be looked at if the basic requirements are filled.)
- Loop
- +calculation
- Banked curve
- +calculation
Schedule
- Day 1 - Research & brainstorm
- Day 2 - Initial labeled sketch is due; begin construction
- Days 3-5 - Continue construction; modify sketch; collect >5 consistent, successful runs
- Day 5 - Final labeled sketch due; last day of construction
- Day 6 - Official run; graphs, calculations, and reflections due
Calculations and Graphs
- Complete more than 5 successful, consistent runs.
- Include in your data table raw data - position, time
- Using the best run (closest to average values) of your data, determine for every hill, every valley, and on the platform
- the position for the start and end
- average velocity from previous position
- average acceleration from previous position
- Graph all position runs of your raw data.
- Graph the velocity and acceleration using your best run (closest to the average value)
Grading
- 20 points for design, complete with labeled sketch and any changes made in a different color ink or pencil
- 10 points per day during the build (40 points total)
- Loss of points may come from 1) being on an unapproved electronic device, texting, Snapchatting, etc. 2) not contributing to the building or designing of roller coaster, 3) working on assignments from other classes, 4) not being prepared for class (forgetting materials, etc.), 5) having an unexcused absence or being in ISS (there is no way to make up building points per day).
- 40 points for official run (this is your group grade!) DUE FRIDAY
- 25 points for graphs (this is individually done) DUE MONDAY
- 25 points for reflection (this is individually done) DUE SATURDAY NIGHT
- Reflection must be typed, double spaced, 12 points font, at least two pages. It will be turned in on Edmodo by Dec. 16th at midnight.
- What went well?
- What surprise, unanticipated (not considered) details did you encounter during construction?
- Did your prototype model behave as expected?
- If not behaving as expected, why? What conclusions can be made?
- If yes, how could the model be improved and still meet the requirements? (What would you change?)
- Grade yourself and each of your group mates on the project. Explain why you gave yourself the grade and why you gave each person their grade. Things to consider are: were they present everyday? Did they bring materials when they said they would? Did they contribute good ideas? Were they easy to work with?
- Reflection must be typed, double spaced, 12 points font, at least two pages. It will be turned in on Edmodo by Dec. 16th at midnight.