Rollercoaster Physics
Goal:
Demonstrate your understanding of Newton’s 3 Laws of Physics, application of 3 simple machines, and knowledge of 10 scientific terms.
Product:
Using masking tape, toilet paper, and paper towel tubes you will invent a rollercoaster model that fits within your building zone.
Challenge:
A glass marble will be your rollercoaster car; the marble will move through the entire rollercoaster using only inertia and simple machines to maintain its movement.
Process
Plan
Build
Test
Fine Tune
Label
Show
Reflect
Plan
We will collect paper towel and toilet paper tubes over the next week.
You will need a drawing of your roller coaster. On your drawing you will need to label 3 Laws of Physics, 10 vocabulary word, and 3 simple machines.
You will also need to explain why you think the marble will continue to move through the entire roller coaster.
Your plan will be completed on special paper. Plan to finish your plan by Tuesday, November 9.
Build
All building will take place at school. We will use our time efficiently; you will be able to build most afternoons, lunches (after you have finished eating).
Test
We will test our rollercoasters on Monday, November 15. This means that we will each send a marble through our roller coaster. We will observe our marble, record observations, and make a plan to fine-tune our roller coaster.
Fine-Tune and Label
We will have two periods for troubleshooting any rollercoaster problems and creating labels for our terms and explanations.
Show
We will show-off our rollercoasters on Thursday, November 18.
Reflect
We will analyze our product and process on Thursday, November 18.
