Roller Coaster - Physics-matters.net

OBJECTIVE
To design and build a working roller coaster based upon creativity and the
application of physics principles.
CONCEPT
Roller coasters are basically “gravity rides”. Once the coaster car has been
pulled to the top of the first hill and released, it is the force of gravity that keeps
the coaster in motion through all of the twists, turns, loops, and rolls. If the
coaster car is not pulled up another hill, higher than the first, it will never achieve
the velocity it gained from the first hill. It may appear that way to the participant in
the car, but it is illusionary only. Some of the energy is lost due to friction. The
illusion occurs because the roller coaster designers have made each turn or loop
progressively smaller, or tighter, thus maintaining the feel of increasing speed.
Energy changes from potential energy into kinetic energy and back into potential
energy.
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DESIGN SEQUENCE
PROJECT PARAMETERS
Structure
Design Task
Drafting
Phase
Construction
Phase
Testing
Phase
Evaluation
Redesign
Ideas
1. Size restrictions: the base must fit within a square
footprint that is 75 cm x 75 cm and not to exceed
100 cm in height.
2. If any portion of your project exceeds the size
limitations it must be modified until all portions
are to specifications or it will be penalized
3. Your model must be designed for either a glass
marble of regular size or greater (shooter), or a
steel ball that is 1 cm (1/2”) diameter or greater.
4. Materials that may be used include; wood, wire,
string, doweling, cardboard, glue, duct tape or
other similar materials. Foam tubing, ¾ inch or 1
inch) used for insulating water pipes can be used
to form the basis for a track. This tubing is already
slit along one side and can be slit in half lengthwise
using exacta knifes etc. The cut sections may
them be taped together using duct tape. The tubing
can be taped to cardboard or ply-wood structures
for support or suspended between PVC pipes with
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