Major Concepts Activity 54• Potential energy is often referred to as stored

energy.

• Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses because of its motion.

• With everything else being equal, an object with more mass has greater potential energy, likewise an object with greater height has more potential energy.

• Energy is transferred in many ways.

• Energy is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical.

Major Concepts Activity 55• All energy types can be characterized as either

kinetic or potential.

• The amount of potential energy initially determines how much kinetic energy will be transformed.

• When the train travels over the track of the rollercoaster, friction between the wheels and track cause some of the kinetic energy to be transformed into thermal energy and sound. This is called entropy.

What Goes Up Must Come DownRoller Coaster Lab

Purpose: To explore how different physical concepts

are involved in the construction and operation

of roller coasters.

Roller Coaster Designs

KongKongVallejo, CAVallejo, CA

Roller Coaster Designs

Taz's Texas Tornado - Houston, TX Medusa – Vallejo, CA

More Roller Coaster Designs

The Demon – Santa Clara, CAThe Demon – Santa Clara, CA

Looping the Loop, Atlantic City, 1901

The Cyclone at Coney Island

…..And More

Serial Thriller

…..Check These Out!

TaskYour task is to build a roller coaster with at least one loop.

• It must be at least 2 meter in total length•The beginning of your roller coaster must be steeper than the end of the coaster.•The loop must be somewhere in the middle of the coaster.

Roller Coasters—The Physics Behind the

Funhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVr3tcu24Us&feature=related

Roller Coaster Forces Explained

When you ride a roller coaster a motor does the work to get you up the first hill. As the coaster is being pulled up the hill by the motor it is storing more and more potential energy. That potential energy is turned into kinetic energy as gravity pulls you down the first hill. The farther you go down the hill, the more potential energy is changed into kinetic energy, which you feel as speed. The ride goes fastest at the bottom of the hill because more and more of the potential energy has been changed to kinetic energy.

…More ExplanationOn a downhill slope or a sharp curve, a ride will probably increase in velocity or accelerate. While moving uphill or in a straight line, it may decrease in velocity or decelerate. The force of gravity pulling a roller coaster down hill causes the roller coaster to go faster and faster, it is accelerating. The force of gravity causes a roller coaster to go slower and slower when it climbs a hill, the roller coaster is decelerating or going slower. The acceleration of a roller coaster depends on its mass and how strong is the force that is pushing or pulling it. Coaster designers know that friction and air resistance play a part in the ride. Therefore, they make each successive hill LOWER so that the coaster will be able to make it over each peak. Coaster designers also take advantage of friction to slow the coaster and bring it to a safe stop when breaks are applied at the end of the ride.

Activity RCL

• Title: Roller Coaster Lab

• Problem: What forces keep the marble on the roller coaster track? What forces keep the marble rolling?

• Initial Thoughts:

Build the Ultimate Roller Coaster!*Use the materials: masking tape and foam tubing, plus other

props such as, the wall, chairs, books, or anything which will help you build your roller coaster

*Focus on keeping the marble on the track before you get too fancy

*Make sure you have 2 people spotting the marble every time you release it, so it doesn’t get lost. Remember----matter is neither created nor destroyed----Find it!

Before you build it:• READ THE PROCEDURE!!!!!!• Get the teachers approval

Before take it apart:• Make sure you measure the height of your

track = start height – end height• Draw your coaster• If you added more track, measure the final

length• Gently remove the tape!

Group Questions1. Can the coaster have too much speed at

the beginning of the trial? Explain.2. Why do roller coasters always start out

by pulling you up a big hill?3. When does a coaster have a large

amount of Kinetic Energy and when does it have a large amount of Potential Energy?

4. What would happen if there was something on the track, which caused a lot of friction between the car, and the track?

5. What would happen to a roller coaster if gravity was suddenly increased or

decreased?