Your First Hill May Not Be Higher Than One Meter in Height s1

In this chapter, you studied 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 have a DIAGRAM of your roller coaster. . The drawing should be on a notebook sized piece of paper. . Give your roller coaster a name! The name should be on the top of the paper. . The drawing must be neat and colorful – it should be drawn by hand and a s . The drawing should indicate the following measurements and calculations:  Height of each hill in meters  Overall track distance  Point of maximum gravitational potential energy  Point of maximum kinetic energy

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, 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 class work grade and will be due by the end of class on Wednesday January 27, 2016

Deadlines:

Partner Agreement January 22

Class time to work on project January 22-27

Project due January 27 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 January 22, 2016*** Rubric for grading Roller Coaster Student follows all Student follows most Student follows some Student did not follow Building Project Rules, and of the Project Rules, of the Project Rules, many of the Project work shows evidence and work shows and work shows Rules, and work shows of having thoroughly evidence of having evidence of having little evidence of tested and modified tested and modified tested and modified having tested and the roller coaster. the roller coaster. the roller coaster. modified the roller 25 pts 19 pts 13 pts coaster. 7 pts Appearance/ Roller coaster looks Roller coaster looks Roller coaster looks Roller coaster does not Creativity very neat and neat and somewhat neat and look neat or professional; student professional; student professional; student professional; student use of materials and use of materials and use of materials and use of materials and design is design is very design is creative. design is not very extraordinarily creative. 13 pts creative. creative. 25 pts 19 pts 7 pts Diagram Sketch of roller Sketch of roller Sketch of roller coaster Sketch of roller coaster coaster is neat, coaster is somewhat is somewhat neat, is not neat or colorful, colorful, and includes neat, colorful, and colorful, and/or and is missing more all of the following: a includes all but one includes all but two of than two of the title, height of each of the following a the following: a title, following: a title, hill in meters, point title, height of each height of each hill in height of each hill in of maximum hill in meters, point meters, point of meters, point of potential energy, of maximum maximum potential maximum potential point of maximum potential energy, energy, energy, kinetic energy point of maximum point of maximum point of maximum 25 pts kinetic energy kinetic energy kinetic energy 19 pts 13 pts 7 pts Project Student (each student Student (most Student (few students Student (most students Demonstration if working in a students if working if working in a group) if working in a group) group) can accurately in a group) can can accurately describe cannot accurately describe how the accurately describe how the potential and describe how the potential and kinetic how the potential kinetic energy of the potential and kinetic energy of the and kinetic energy of marble/vehicle changes energy of the marble/vehicle the marble/vehicle from start to finish. marble/vehicle changes changes from start to changes from start to AND/OR roller coaster from start to finish. finish. Roller coaster finish. Roller coaster does not successfully AND roller coaster successfully successfully complete the track. 13 does not successfully completes the track. completes the track. pts complete the track. 7 25 pts 19 pts pts

Final Grade______