Roller Coaster Final Investigation

Choose a Question to Investigate

How does hill height affect velocity? How does loop size affect velocity? How does mass affect velocity? How does the number of loops affect

velocity? How does the number of hills affect

velocity? How do the number of curves affect

velocity? ** Write your own question to investigate**

Make A Plan: Methods* Write your plan in your Science Notebook

Example: How Does Hill Height Affect Velocity?

Make three roller coasters. One with a small hill, one with a medium hill, one with a large hill. Measure the height of the each hill in cm. Record it in your notebook. Draw pictures and label them.

Calculate the speed of your marble on each coaster. Test each coaster at least three times. Record the speed in cm/s. You need distance of the track, and time in seconds.

Record your data in a table. Make sure you only change the height of the hills. Use the same marble, and the same basic roller coaster design.

Coaster Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Small 10cm

cm/s cm/s cm/s

Medium20cm

Large30cm

Make A Plan: Methods*Write your plan in your Science Notebook.

Example: How Do the number of loops affect velocity?

Make three roller coasters. One with a single loop, one with a double loop, one with a triple loop. Keep the loop shapes the same.

Calculate the speed of your marble on each coaster. Test each coaster at least three times. Record the speed in cm/s. You need distance of the track, and time in seconds.

Record your data in a table. Make sure you only change the number of loops. Use the same marble, and the same basic roller coaster design.

Coaster Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

1 Loop

2 Loops

3 Loops

Collect Data: Science Notebook

Test your roller coasters. Record the distance of your track. Record the time in seconds it takes

for your marble to get from start to finish.

Draw pictures of your coasters. Write down all of your thoughts. What

is happening? What is working? What isn’t?

Record hill heights, loop sizes, curves, the mass of your marbles.

Analyze: Discuss and Record in Your Science Notebook

What is the answer to your question? What can you say is probably true about

friction and gravity effecting your marble’s motion?

What is affecting the velocity of your marble the most?

What data did you collect that supports your ideas?

Discuss how inertia affected the velocity of your marble.

Roller Coaster Poster Create a poster to display your

investigation. You need 4 parts to your poster.• Question• Methods• Data• Analyze

Roller Coaster Expo 04 Dec 2012 Take 5 minutes to put the finishing

touches on your poster. Find an area in the room to hang your

poster. • The entire group will stand by the poster.• Decide who will be the first “talker”.• The other group members then become

”walkers”.• Make sure you have your science notebook

with you.

Roller Coaster Expo

Expo RulesYou are either a Walker, or a Talker. You will do both, just not at the

same time. Walker:

*Go to each poster.*Read each poster.*No talking, until you ask the ‘Talker’ a question.*Ask the ‘Talker’ one question about their data.*Record the answer to the question in your science notebook.*What was the answer to your question?*How can your investigation be improved?*What was the most surprising thing about your results?*If you were to do this again, what would you change?

Talker* It is your job to stand by your poster and answer questions from the

walkers.* One person from your group only.* Take turns. Everyone in your group needs to take their turn as the

talker.

1. What was the answer to your question?2. How can your investigation be improved?3. What was the most surprising thing about your results?4.If you were to do this again, what would you change?