S T E M : R O L L E R C OA S T E R P H Y S I C S

DATA

Group

Distance of total trip

Time of total trip

Velocity of total

trip

 1 – My Name Is Jeff (Christina, Vicelle, Isabel, Megan) – mass of marble used .033kg

 323 cm 2.18 s   148.2 cm/s

 2 – BGC (Gabby, Kim, Gabby, Phylicia) - mass of marble used .039kg

 531 cm  2.22 s  239.2 cm/s

 3 – FURY (Zohn, Rajan, Alejandro, Alex) - mass of marble used .054 kg

 549 cm  2.54 s  216.1cm/s

 4 – SOARING (Cameron, Danny, Ebenezer, Khyree) - mass of marble used .035kg

 548 cm  2.21  248 cm/s

GroupUp 1Distance to

first loopTime to first

loopVelocity to first

loopMomentum to first loop

  1 – My Name Is Jeff

55 cm  0.66 s  83.3cm/s  2.7 kgxcm/s

 2 - BGC 154 cm  1.08 s  142.6 cm/s  5.6 kgxcm/s

 3 – FURY 145 cm  .72 s  201.4cm/s  10.9 kaxcm/s

  4 – SOARING 172 cm  0.53 s  324.5 cm/s  11.4 kgxcm/sQualitative Group

1Qualitative Group 2

Qualitative Group 3

Qualitative Group 4

Steep drop into loop and then small hill. Small marble used. Highest point has most potential energy.

Safety and consistency was main priority. Does not work with largest marble. Smooth ride – very safe.

Drop into slanted loop to increase velocity. Comes to a safe stop. Loop is perfect circle. To ensure a safe stop they used sand paper to increase friction. Super fun – scary first drop and many curves! Error noted: first started testing fine. During today’s class marble kept falling off. They improvised by decreasing the slope so it didn’t bounce off curve. One of the several trials failed to stay on track

Large drop into a full loop. Climax of fun is where you ‘soar’ off the tracks. Increase friction to slow down the roller coaster. Optimum fun with minimal risk. Precise with placement of area where students ‘soar’. Has worked 100% of the time since product has been finished. Straightened slope so that several masses (except largest) can be used.

PERIOD 1

GroupDistance of total trip

Time of total trip

Velocity of total

trip 1 – Clmak – Cat, Lauren, Megan, Ariana, Karen - mass of marble used .039kg

 550 cm  3.36s  

 2 – TTMM – Trinity, Tori, Michele, Maria - mass of marble used .053 kg  550 cm  2.81 s  

 3 – Worm Hole – Adnan, Mateo, Stephen, Dan - mass of marble used .055kg

 476cm  3.20 s  

 4 – JM Roller Coaster Inc. – Ibn, Maurice, Jamie, Jen- mass of marble used .051kg

 542 cm  8.0s  

GroupDistance to first loop

Time to first loop

Velocity to first loop

Momentum to first loop

 Clmak – Cat, Lauren, Megan, Ariana, Karen

68 cm  .47 s    

 TTMM – Trinity, Tori, Michele, Maria - mass of marble used 184 cm  1.09 s    

Worm Hole – Adnan, Mateo, Stephen, Dan 159 cm  0.31 s    

 JM Roller Coaster Inc. – Ibn, Maurice, Jamie, Jen 105cm  0.97s    

Qualitative Group 1 Qualitative Group 2 Qualitative Group 3

Qualitative Group 4

Safety and fun is a major focus. Gave detailed measurements. Originally were going to complete two loops but changed it to one large loop. Our roller coasters always stays on the track. Inertia and normal force keep it on track. Cotton balls were used as frictional force to allow for loss of KE. Highest PE is at the top and highest KE is at the bottom.

Stayed close to original sketch however they changed the starting point because they needed more PE to convert into KE. Needed a lot of KE to go through loop and over hill. Every time it is on the top of the loop it has PE. Added toothpicks for friction as unbalanced force.

Starts with a hole. Initial drop 141 cm. Hill was used to create more KE. At the top of the hill has PE. Freestanding hill. Modified original design in order to fall into basin. Our is the best because we have the best drop inside a tube! Very creative. Our theme is also fun – Space! Several trials were done to get to the finish line.

Safe and fun was a designing focus. 2 loops for more fun! Included a small hill at the end to build up more PE to transform into KE so the roller coaster could make it to end. To stop the marble a layer of tape was used with toothpicks to create more friction. A gate was also added so the roller coaster could come to a complete stop. Several trials were used to get the marble to reach the end. Distance was deducted to calculate final result.

PERIOD 8

CONCLUSION REFLECTION

On the back of this page write a rough draft reflection of this STEM lab. Include the information below:• What was the purpose of completing this lab?• What information did you use to plan your model? Use key

terms from science class to explain.• Did your model change during construction? If so, what did

you change and why did you change it. If not, explain why no changes were needed.

• How can you relate this lab to each of Newton’s Laws of Motion?

• How can you relate this lab to your basic understanding of energy? If you aren’t sure do some research and/or use the article to aid in your response.

• Now that you have seen everyone’s roller coaster what would you have done to make yours better? What advice would you give to an amusement park engineer?