Your First Hill May Not Be Higher Than One Meter in Height

In this chapter, you will be studying energy transformation, friction, and the law of conservation of energy. This project will help you to understand these concepts by allowing you to apply them to something that may be familiar to you – roller coasters! Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? Did you find the ride exciting or scary? Why? What happens to the speed of a roller coaster as it goes uphill, downhill, or through a turn? What features of roller coasters make them fun – giant hills, fast turns, vertical loops? If you were to design your own roller coaster, what features would you include?

In this project you will have the opportunity to create your very own roller coaster. Your vehicle will begin its journey on top of a hill that is no more than one meter in height (think about the potential energy in that vehicle!). It must then travel the full length of your track (no longer than 2 meters), climbing over two additional hills, without stopping or falling off the track. Once you have successfully created this basic roller coaster, you will modify your track to include more complex features like turns and/or vertical loops.

Project Rules  Your first hill may not be higher than one meter in height.  The length of the roller coaster cannot be longer than two meters. Your track can be longer than this, but the over all length of the project cannot.  Your vehicle must complete the entire track without stopping or falling off. Once you have placed your vehicle on top of the first hill, you cannot add any energy to the system to help your vehicle complete its route.  Your vehicle must climb over an additional TWO hills other than the one it starts on. This means it must climb and descend at least two times. The hills must be at least 10 cm high.  Your roller coaster must also include at least TWO TURNS (360 ◦ turn) and/or ONE VERTICAL LOOP. These can be in place of the hills as long as the vehicle is climbing up and going down during a loop or a turn.  You must present your roller coaster to the class. Your presentation should include: o You must have either a note card or a piece of paper with exactly what you are going to say on it; this will be collected. o A description of all of the modifications that you made. o An understanding of energy transformation (how and when changes in potential and kinetic energy occur), how friction affects it, and how the law of conservation of energy applies. This means that you will have to use all of these words during your presentation to the class. o A drawing of your roller coaster. . The drawing should be on a piece of paper no larger than 11 ½ x 17 (legal size paper) . Give your roller coaster a name! The name should be on the top of the paper. . The drawing must be neat and colorful. . The drawing should indicate the following measurements and calculations:  Height of each hill in meters  Overall track distance, and distance between hills in meters  Point of maximum gravitational potential energy and what it is in Joules (show your work)  Point of maximum kinetic energy & kinetic energy at the end in Joules (show your work)

Suggested Materials

 Be creative when selecting materials to use for your tracks. Some possibilities are cardboard, poster board, rubber or vinyl tubing, foam pipe insulation, and drinking straws.  Possible vehicles include marbles, ball bearings, rubber balls, and toy cars.  You may also find that you need string, tape, glue, paper clips, bricks, shoe boxes, blocks of wood, stopwatches, cups, or buckets.

Project Hints

 Before you begin building your roller coaster, you should write out a design plan that includes the materials you plan to use, and a sketch of your basic roller coaster.  You must make several modifications to your roller coaster. The first set of modifications will be to determine the maximum height possible for your second and third hills. The second set of modifications will be to add the turns and/or vertical loops to your track.  When modifying your track, the results will be clearer if you only alter one variable at a time, such as hill height or distance between hills.  Think about things that can adversely affect the performance of your roller coaster, such as friction. Can you think of ways to decrease the friction on your vehicle?  Do some research! Find out how your favorite roller coaster is designed and try to replicate some of its best features!

This project will count as a test grade and will be due on

Monday February 28, 2011

This project was assigned on February 9, 2011

Deadlines:

Partner Agreement February 11th

Preliminary Diagram February 14th

Class time to work on project February 15th – 18th

Final Diagram February 18th Roller Coaster!

Agreement for Projects Done by Two or Three Students

I am requesting permission to work with one or two other students, of my own choice, to complete the

Roller Coaster project.

I fully understand and agree to the following:

 It is my responsibility, along with that of my project partner(s), to appropriately meet to plan and

finish the project.

 Once approved, this is an irrevocable commitment. I cannot back out, and I must see the project

through.

 My partner’s involvement will affect my grade, because all project partners will receive the same

grade on all components of the project.

My partner(s)’s name(s) is/are: ______

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My Signature Date

Parental Agreement: Having discussed the above requirements with my child, I support his/her decision to complete the

Roller Coaster project in partnership with the classmate(s) named above.

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My Parent’s Signature Date

***This is due back no later than Friday February 11, 2011***

Rubric for grading Roller Coaster Student follows all Student follows most Student follows some Student did not Building Project Rules, and of the Project Rules, of the Project Rules, follow many of the work shows evidence and work shows and work shows Project Rules, and of having thoroughly evidence of having evidence of having work shows little tested and modified tested and modified tested and modified evidence of having the roller coaster. the roller coaster. the roller coaster. tested and modified 25 pts 19 pts 13 pts the roller coaster. 7 pts Appearance/ Roller coaster looks Roller coaster looks Roller coaster looks Roller coaster does Creativity very neat and neat and professional; somewhat neat and not look neat or professional; student student use of professional; student professional; student use of materials and materials and design use of materials and use of materials and design is is very creative. design is creative. design is not very extraordinarily 19 pts 13 pts creative. creative. 7 pts 25 pts Diagram Sketch of roller Sketch of roller Sketch of roller Sketch of roller coaster is neat, coaster is somewhat coaster is somewhat coaster is not neat or colorful, and includes neat, colorful, and neat, colorful, and/or colorful, and is all of the following: a includes all but one of includes all but two missing more than title, height of each the following: a title, of the following: a two of the following: hill in cm, distance height of each hill in title, height of each a title, height of each between hills in cm, cm, distance between hill in cm, distance hill in cm, distance point of maximum hills in cm, point of between hills in cm, between hills in cm, potential energy, maximum potential point of maximum point of maximum calculation of energy, calculation of potential energy, potential energy, potential energy, potential energy, calculation of calculation of point of maximum point of maximum potential energy, potential energy, kinetic energy, kinetic energy, point of maximum point of maximum calculation of kinetic calculation of kinetic kinetic energy, kinetic energy, energy at the end energy at the end calculation of kinetic calculation of kinetic 25 pts 19 pts energy at the end energy at the end 13 pts 7 pts Project Presentation is Presentation is Presentation Presentation is Presentation/ thorough and well adequate. Student appropriate, but is inappropriate and Demonstration organized. Student communicates most hard to follow. hard to follow. communicates all of the required Student Student required terminology terminology and communicates some communicates a few and modifications modifications made. of the required of the required made. Roller coaster Roller coaster terminology and terminology and successfully successfully modifications made modifications made completes the track. completes the track. AND/OR roller and roller coaster 25 pts 19 pts coaster does not does not successfully successfully complete complete the track. the track. 7 pts 13 pts

Final Grade______