Investigation

You will be assigned groups by Miss Au, so that there will be students with a mix of interests in each group.  By the time you get here, you should already be assigned to your groups.  Work with your groups to gather information, design your roller coaster and your presentation of the roller coaster.

Before you begin, be sure that you record what you learn in your individual journal.  Journals will be collected at the end of the activity.

Simulator

http://www.funderstanding.com/k12/coaster/

This link will take you to a simulator that will enable you to change variables to see the impact that it has on the roller coaster.  Take a few minutes to just experiment with this simulation.  Change the variables and note what happens.  You should record your observations in your journal. 

What variables affect the speed or velocity of the roller coaster?  What affect does each variable have on the velocity?

When you have a roller coaster that works, i.e. doesn't fall off the track or get stuck, record several data points and graph speed as a function of time.  What kind of function has a graph like this? 

Visit Amusement Park Physics to test your understanding of how to design a safe and fun roller coaster.

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics/

Click on the Roller Coaster link and then the Design A Roller Coaster link to begin.  Make notes in your journal about what designs are good.  Also read about how roller coasters work.

Gathering More Information

The following website will give you information about how roller roasters work.  Please read the information and take notes in your journal. 

http://www.howstuffworks.com/roller-coaster.htm

How Fast is this Car Going?

What equations are used to calculate the velocity of the car?

http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Pav/Science/Physics/book/mostcalculations/home.html

The above link will provide you with some equations to help you calculate the velocity of the coaster at two different spots. 

How Am I Going to Pay for this Thing? 

The following website is a table of the top 10 record holding coasters in the USA.  You can check out the different coasters and see details about the height, drop, inversions, speed, duration and sometimes COST.  Visit the website above to see what some of the top coasters cost these days. 

http://www.rcdb.com/rhr.htm?statistic=0&type=&design=&location=1

The following websites can be used to help you see what kind of payments need to be made in order to pay for your roller coaster.

http://www.vlender.com/cgi-bin/calc/simple.cgi

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml

This website will give you tips on how to use Excel to calculate loan payments.

http://www.exceltip.com/st/Formulas_to_calculate_Loan_payments_in_Microsoft_Excel/301.html

Design Your Roller Coaster. 

You may want to have a theme for your roller coaster.  Are you going to design a record breaking coaster?  Will it be safe?  What elements will you include?   Inversions?  Length?  Height?  Be creative!!

This interactive game may give you ideas about different elements to include in your coaster. 

http://dsc.discovery.com/games/coasters/interactive.html

Portfolio

Your portfolios are due at the same time that you present to the owners of Jennywood.   Your portfolio should include:

• A scale drawing of your roller coaster.

• Calculations of the speed of your roller coaster at two points.

• Two tables showing payments and remaining balance for at least the first two years of payments.  Vary the down payment or the interest rate for your payment schedules.

• Your completed KWL charts.

• A paragraph from each group member summarizing what you learned during this NetQuest.

Presentation

Your group will have 10 minutes to present or "sell" your roller coaster to the owners of Jennywood.  You should work on this after you have designed your roller coaster and completed your portfolio.  Click here for details on the Presentation.