Sci-ber Text - 8th Grade

Force, Energy, & Motion - Rock and Roll Mania

Now you get to use gravity to create a machine! A lot of money is used in creating machines that use gravity. Each time that you visit an amusement park, you experience machines based on gravity! This activity is designed to have you build a working roller coaster with all the required components. When you finish , you should demo your roller coaster to friends or family and then draw an individual blue print of your ride.

Materials (per team):

One 15-foot length of polyvinyl tube 1/2" diameter
Three ring stands
One four-foot dowel
One roll of 3/4" wide masking tape
One empty 35mm film canister
One small steel bearing (must fit in tube easily)

Procedure:

Design a roller coaster that has the following components.
- Two loops
- Two true hills (not counting the starting point)
- One corkscrew or twist
- A spiral
Name your coaster - make it a fun name that people will want to come and ride!
- Draw your roller coaster in the form of a blue print.
- Include labels for the parts of the roller coaster.
- Explain where a rider would feel weightless.
- Point out areas where a rider would feel that they "gained" weight!
Now build the coaster!
- Place ring stands on a desk or table.
- Use the masking tape to connect the tubing to the support structures (ring stands).
- Tape the empty 35 mm film canister to the end of the ride - to catch the steel bearing.
Test the ride by letting go of the steel bearing.
Determine if there are any locations where the bearing becomes stuck and figure out how to fix the problem.
Re-draw the blue print if you made changes in the design.

Safety concerns: As with all science lab activities, the most important safety rule is to follow all teacher directions.

Analysis:

Which parts of the design were the most difficult to build in a way that the bearing was able to go through them?
What modifications did you have to do to make the ride work?
How did your design compare with the designs of your friends?