

The game has bright graphics and unique gameplay that fits well with children and families. This lesson has instructions for building tennis ball roller coasters in the classroom.Rollercoaster Creator is a fun puzzle game released by. Many links to other sites related to a roller coaster.ĭiscovery School: The Ultimate Roller Coaster Contest This site also includes quiz to test your knowledge on roller coaster. Learn history, math, and physics of roller coaster. Includes information on both kinetic and potential energy.Ĭlick on this timeline to learn more about the history of roller coasters. Take a look at "Free Fall" and "Related Resources" at the bottom of the page.Ĭlick on the different physics terms to learn more about how they relate to roller coasters. Note: The site includes advertising.ĭesign your own roller coaster and see if it passes a safety inspection. Other topics include forces, gravity, inertia, and acceleration.

The second page has an animation that shows the point when potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. This site explains how roller coasters run. When you're done, your coaster will need to pass an inspection for both safety and fun.Įverything you ever wanted to know about Roller Coasters You will decide the following - the height of the first hill, the shape of the first hill, the exit path, the height of the second hill, and the loop. You will be building a conceptual coaster using the physics concepts that are used to design real coasters. Try your hand at designing your own roller coaster. The gravitational constant is the acceleration caused by Earth's gravity at sea level and is equal to 9.81 m/s^2 (32.2 ft/s^2).Īlso known as a gravitational force, a g-force is equal to the force exerted on an object by Earth's gravity at sea level. Kinetic energy is the energy of an object in motion, which is directly related to its velocity and its mass. Potential energy is energy stored by an object ready to be used (in this lesson, we will use gravitational potential energy, which is directly related to the height of an object and its mass). How quickly an object speeds up, slows down, or changes direction equal to change in velocity divided by time.įriction is a force caused by rubbing between two objects. Velocity is a combination of speed and the direction in which an object travels.Ĭritical velocity is the speed needed at the top of a loop for a car to make it through the loop without falling off the track. Speed is how fast an object moves and is equal to the distance that object travels divided by the time it takes. Gravity is a force which draws any two objects toward one another. Identify points in a roller coaster track where the car accelerates and decelerates.Identify points in a roller coaster track where the car experiences more or less than one g-force.Identify points in a roller coaster track at which the car has maximum kinetic energy and maximum potential energy.Use the principle of conservation of energy to explain the layout of roller coasters.Discuss the effects of gravity and friction in the context of their roller coaster designs.Explain in physics terms how their roller coaster works.Explain why it is important for an engineer to know how a roller coaster works.
