Roller Coaster Design
Source Institutions
-
Twin Cities Public Television
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This activity (on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Roller Coaster Design Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into g-force and acceleration. Groups of learners will construct their own accelerometers. Then, with permission from their local amusement park, they will ride a roller coaster with their homemade accelerometers repeatedly to make g-force readings at select portions of the track. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Roller Coaster Design.
- 10 to 30 minutes
- 1 to 7 days
- $5 - $10 per student
- Ages 8 - 14
- Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Field Trip
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per student)
- a homemade accelerometer, made from a clear plastic cylinder with end caps, a light spring, and two or more fishing sinkers. (Sciencekit #IG0024057)
- permission from your local amusement park to carry the accelerometer with you on the roller coaster rides. Many amusement parks cooperate with school science programs to let kids study the physics of roller coasters.
Subjects
- Engineering and Technology
- Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Technology
- Transportation
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Data Analysis
- Data Collection
- Data Representation
- Measurement
- Units of Measurement
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Physical Sciences
- Motion and Forces
- Gravity
- Momentum and Velocity
- Acceleration
- Motion and Forces
- The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
- Asking Questions
- Conducting Investigations
- Gathering Data
- Communicating Results
- The Scientific Process
Informal Categories
- Outdoor Activity
- Transportation
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- read
- be mobile
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Components that are part of this resource:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Source Collection:
- DragonflyTV
Rights:
- All Rights Reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., ©2006
Funding Source:
- National Science Foundation, 515566
