Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters

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published by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering
supported by the National Science Foundation

This lesson for Grades 7-9 provides a complete package for a hands-on activity on the science of roller coasters. It opens with an overview of the physics concepts, including scripted teacher introduction. Students then work in groups to design roller coasters, using foam pipe insulation, glass marbles, wooden marbles, and steel marbles. Through inquiry, students build a deeper understanding of conservation of energy and the effects of friction. The package includes lesson objectives, detailed procedures, student worksheet, scoring rubric, and post-activity assessment. Allow two class periods.

TeachEngineering is a Pathway project of the National Science Digital Library. It provides a large collection of teacher-tested, research-based content for K-12 teachers to connect real-world experiences with curricular content.

http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk...

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Classical Mechanics - Motion in Two Dimensions - Work and Energy = Conservation of Energy = Mechanical Power Education Practices - Active Learning = Inquiry Learning = Problem Solving	- Middle School - High School	- Instructional Material = Activity = Instructor Guide/Manual = Lesson/Lesson Plan = Problem/Problem Set - Assessment Material = Rubric = Test

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Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2007 Regents of the University of Colorado
Keywords:: GPE, amusement park physics, energy, energy conservation, engineering design, friction, gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, potential energy
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created November 20, 2012 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: November 20, 2012 by Caroline Hall
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

3. The Nature of Technology

3A. Technology and Science

6-8: 3A/M3. Engineers, architects, and others who engage in design and technology use scientific knowledge to solve practical problems. They also usually have to take human values and limitations into account.

4. The Physical Setting

4E. Energy Transformations

6-8: 4E/M1. Whenever energy appears in one place, it must have disappeared from another. Whenever energy is lost from somewhere, it must have gone somewhere else. Sometimes when energy appears to be lost, it actually has been transferred to a system that is so large that the effect of the transferred energy is imperceptible.
6-8: 4E/M4. Energy appears in different forms and can be transformed within a system. Motion energy is associated with the speed of an object. Thermal energy is associated with the temperature of an object. Gravitational energy is associated with the height of an object above a reference point. Elastic energy is associated with the stretching or compressing of an elastic object. Chemical energy is associated with the composition of a substance. Electrical energy is associated with an electric current in a circuit. Light energy is associated with the frequency of electromagnetic waves.
9-12: 4E/H1. Although the various forms of energy appear very different, each can be measured in a way that makes it possible to keep track of how much of one form is converted into another. Whenever the amount of energy in one place diminishes, the amount in other places or forms increases by the same amount.

4F. Motion

6-8: 4F/M3a. An unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed or direction of motion, or both.
9-12: 4F/H7. In most familiar situations, frictional forces complicate the description of motion, although the basic principles still apply.
9-12: 4F/H8. Any object maintains a constant speed and direction of motion unless an unbalanced outside force acts on it.

9. The Mathematical World

9B. Symbolic Relationships

6-8: 9B/M3. Graphs can show a variety of possible relationships between two variables. As one variable increases uniformly, the other may do one of the following: increase or decrease steadily, increase or decrease faster and faster, get closer and closer to some limiting value, reach some intermediate maximum or minimum, alternately increase and decrease, increase or decrease in steps, or do something different from any of these.
9-12: 9B/H1b. Sometimes the rate of change of something depends on how much there is of something else (as the rate of change of speed is proportional to the amount of force acting).

11. Common Themes

11A. Systems

6-8: 11A/M2. Thinking about things as systems means looking for how every part relates to others. The output from one part of a system (which can include material, energy, or information) can become the input to other parts. Such feedback can serve to control what goes on in the system as a whole.

11B. Models

9-12: 11B/H5. The behavior of a physical model cannot ever be expected to represent the full-scale phenomenon with complete accuracy, not even in the limited set of characteristics being studied. The inappropriateness of a model may be related to differences between the model and what is being modeled.

12. Habits of Mind

12C. Manipulation and Observation

6-8: 12C/M3. Make accurate measurements of length, volume, weight, elapsed time, rates, and temperature by using appropriate devices.

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Record Link

<a href="http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12478">National Science Foundation. Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters. Boulder: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering, 2007.</a>

AIP Format

Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters (Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering, Boulder, 2007), WWW Document, (http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml).

AJP/PRST-PER

Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters (Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering, Boulder, 2007), <http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml>.

APA Format

Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters. (2007). Retrieved May 24, 2013, from Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering: http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml

Chicago Format

National Science Foundation. Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters. Boulder: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering, 2007. http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml (accessed 24 May 2013).

MLA Format

Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters. Boulder: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering, 2007. National Science Foundation. 24 May 2013 <http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Title = {Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters}, Publisher = {Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering}, Volume = {2013}, Number = {24 May 2013}, Year = {2007} }

Refer Export Format

%T Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters
%D 2007
%I Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering
%C Boulder
%U http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml
%O text/html

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source
%D 2007
%T Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters
%I Integrated Teaching and Learning Program: Teach Engineering
%V 2013
%N 24 May 2013
%9 text/html
%U http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_rollercoaster_music_less/duk_rollercoaster_music_less.xml

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Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters:

Same topic as Roller Coaster Model

A simulation-based lesson for middle school - students build a virtual roller coaster and watch as graphs of kinetic/potential energy are simultaneously displayed when the coaster goes into motion.

relation by Caroline Hall

Same topic as TryEngineering: Interactive Gumball Machine

This 4-day module for Grades 7-9 presents the same concepts of kinetic/potential energy, friction, and gravity....but breaks them into two segments to ensure understanding of the concepts.

relation by Caroline Hall

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