Making a Roller Coaster (2 periods)

NJ Core Curriculum Standards

CCS Number / Topic / Description
5.1.12.A.3 / 5.1 – Science Practices
A – Understand Scientific Explanations / Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate measurements, and structured data/evidence.
5.1.12.B.3 / 5.1 – Science Practices
B – Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations / Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
5.1.12.C.1 / 5.1 – Science Practices
C – Reflect on Scientific Knowledge / Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
5.1.12.C.2 / 5.1 – Science Practices
C – Reflect on Scientific Knowledge / Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
5.1.12.D.1 / 5.1 – Science Practices
D – Participate Productively in Science / Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, whole-group discussions, and small-group work.
5.1.12.D.2 / 5.1 – Science Practices
D – Participate Productively in Science / Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
5.2.12.D.1 / 5.2 – Physical Science
D – Energy Transfer and Conservation / The potential energy of an object on Earth’s surface is increased when the object’s position is changed from one closer to Earth’s surface to one fartherfrom Earth’s surface.
5.2.12.D.4 / 5.2 – Physical Science
D – Energy Transfer and Conservation / Energy may be transferred from one object to another during collisions.

What Students Should Know

  • Kinematics
  • Dynamics
  • Energy
  • Gravitational potential energy
  • Kinetic energy
  • Elastic potential energy
  • Internal energy
  • Work
  • System approach
  • Bar charts
  • ISLE
  • The Engineering Design Process

Goals of the Lesson

Conceptual / Quantitative / Procedural / Epistemological
What physics concepts are important for construction of the roller coaster? / Be able to estimate total cost and time of production. / Be able to identify goals of a project. / How do you know that your roller coaster will function?
How can you integrate physics into this engineering project? / Be able to measure any dimensions of roller coaster. / Be able to work with materials given. / How do you know what to do in order to make a working roller coaster?
At what step in ISLE is this project? Does it fit into any one step? / Be able to construct an energy-work bar chart for multiple points in the ride. / Be able to work effectively with others. / What are the ways in which we learn how something functions?
What adjustments must be included in a real roller coaster? / Identifying assumptions. / How can I assess how good my assumptions are?

Important Details/Connections

Physics Content

  • Forms of energy
  • Work
  • Work-energy bar charts
  • Dynamics
  • Static and kinetic friction

Real Life Connections

  • Building a model to specifications
  • Trying to gauge how fast a roller coaster ride will be from the initial height of the first drop
  • Do all roller coaster rides only involve gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy?

Family & Community Resources

  • YouTube videos about roller coasters
  • Local theme parks
  • Car rides

Potential Student Difficulties

  • Not understanding the steps in the Engineering Design Process
  • Being stuck on how to make their roller coaster structure sturdy
  • Having difficulty setting up a bar chart for a real process rather than a textbook problem
  • Difficulty identifying a system
  • Difficulty identifying all forms of energy needed to describe change in situation
  • Difficulty identifying physics assumptions
  • Difficulty identifying real-world engineering assumptions

Resources

Environment

  • Desks
  • Chairs
  • Walls
  • Large spaces between groups of desks

Equipment

  • Foam tubing (cut), tape, scissors, rulers, toothpicks, marbles
  • Worksheet for engineering

Lesson Description

Period 1

Okay, so today we are going to be starting a 2-day project on how to build your own roller coaster! What we are going to do today is review all the materials you will have to work with, the criteria under which I am hiring you for the job, and making a plan of what your group wants to build and how. For today and tomorrow you are engineers, and as such I expect a neat report that includes the following:

  • An expense report on how much your plan will cost
  • A preliminary plan of your roller coaster (drawing)
  • A brief outline of how you are going to build it
  • An estimate of how much time it will take (and how do you know?)
  • And a checklist of all the requirements for the job
  • Include a small list of extra essentials if this ride were going to be for real people (like seatbelts etc…)

This will be handed into me at the end of the period, so if you want to take it home and work on it more, you’re group better have more than one person writing.

Now you will see a sheet that I am passing out, take a minute to read it over by yourself. The main part about this roller coaster is that you are allowed to fix it to any surface your choose, so choose well! If you want you can attempt to have it free standing which gives you more flexibility in location, but is more challenging to build.Now I want you and your group to come up and take a look at the materials available. You may take some back to your table, but only to experiment a bit with how they might fit together. I do not want anyone jumping ahead and building before they have a plan ready.

Now that you have had 10 minutes to start planning what you are going to do, I want you to also start a second page, to be handed into me tomorrow when we make the roller coasters. On this page you will have:

  • 2 full work-energy bar charts for at least 3 different points along your ride.
  • A description of how this assessment of the energy needs of your ride will influence your design.
  • Do you need to make revisions in light of this?
  • Identify any physics assumptions you are making.
  • Do you think they will pose serious problems?
  • How can you avoid any? (friction for example)
  • Identify any physics topics that are relevant to building or planning this roller coaster.

Please make sure you name and date all of your work so we don’t lose it. For tomorrow you are going to be making any changes on a brand new sheet, so I want you to be able to see what you had before and after, so don’t erase or throw anything out.

Now that there is only 5 minutes left, please clean up and hand in one copy of that first sheet per group. Don’t forget to write all of your names on it.

Period 2

Okay before you go and take your materials let me give you to timeline for today. You will have all period except for the last 10 minutes in order to build your roller coaster such that your passenger (the marble) survives. As you are doing this, please write on a separate piece of paper any new ideas you are implementing and if they work. You will need this to do your homework tonight. With 10 minutes left we will be showcasing our roller coaster to each other and then disassembling them or you can take them home. GO!

Time Table

Clock Reading During Lesson / Title of Activity – Connection to Goals / Students Doing / Teacher Doing
Period 1
0-5 minutes / Goals and viewing materials / Listening to teacher, going up to see materials available. / Giving goals for the day, handing around handouts.
5-15 minutes / Planning / In groups planning device to specifications. / Helping students that are totally stuck.
15-40 minutes / Planning / Still in groups planning roller coaster and answering questions for both sheets. / Giving advice and helping students make a clear report that an engineer might make. Helping construct work-energy bar charts.
40-45 minutes / Cleaning Up / Cleaning Up and handing in 1st sheet. / Cleaning up and collecting 1st sheet.
Period 2
0-5 minutes / Setting Up / Getting all materials to build roller coaster. / Making sure students have all materials. Hand back sheets from the day before with any comments or suggestions.
5-35 minutes / Building/Revising/Building / Building the roller coasters, failing to have marble complete the journey, revising their plans, recording revisions, and rebuilding. / Helping students with the building and periodically checking that they are continuing to record their revisions.
35-40 minutes / Moment of Truth / Quickly testing roller coasters in front of class by rolling down a marble. / Observing and recording as needed.
40-45 minutes / Cleaning Up / Cleaning Up / Cleaning Up and collecting 2nd sheet from day before.

Formative Assessments

  • Period 1
  • Asking students in individual groups to show their progress:
  • Do students have a cost list?
  • Do students have a time estimate? What is it based on?
  • Do students have all requirements in mind?
  • Do students have a good drawing of their planned ride?
  • Do students have a well-constructed work-energy bar chart for at least 3 different locations on the ride? Did they use the idea of a system correctly or at all?
  • Did student identify relevant physics?
  • Homework
  • Period 2
  • Asking students in individual groups to show their progress:
  • Are students working together to build the ride? Or is one person dominating one aspect and another focusing on a separate part?
  • Are students revising what they are doing based on a reasoned trial and error approach? Are they recording the revisions? (In words and pictures?)
  • Are students using the bar charts to help them revise design? Are new bar charts made to reflect the real ride rather than just the plan?
  • Are students able to finish constructing in time?
  • Homework

Homework

1st Night:

I want this posted on our blog with every person contributing their opinion on the matter. Each post should include:

  • If you were really going to build this roller coaster for a park, what obstacles might you run into that we have no discussed in class? Something possibly not related to physics.
  • What part of the ISLE cycle does building this roller coaster fit into? Does it fit in any one place?
  • How does this job fit into the engineering cycle process? Are we skipping any steps? (Be specific, list the steps and the corresponding work you did today.)

2nd Night:

In this blog entry I want you to reflect on how your roller coasters functioned and how you may have changed them along the way. Answer the following questions:

  • Did your design work according to the plan you developed the day before?
  • What adjustments did you make? Why? (Be specific.)
  • How does this fit in with the engineering process?
  • Do you think real engineers make mistakes or ever need to redesign something?
  • What did you learn?
  • How did you learn it?
  • What still remains unclear?
  • If you were the teacher what would you have done differently to help students understand?