Force Frenzy: Roller Coasters

Force Frenzy: Roller Coasters
An Internet Hotlist on Roller Coasters

created by Sandy Figoten
Sage Park Middle School

Introduction
....Get ready to ROLL! You have gathered information about how roller coasters work from various sources. Complete the note sheet you were given in class and record everything important to your project from the internet links on this website. When you are done, you should be prepared to brainstorm a great, functional roller coaster with your tablemates. Get those marbles ready to go out for the ride of their lives!

The Internet Resources

Physics of Roller Coaster Motion
How Things Work: Roller Coasters - Type 'roller coaster' in the space where it says, 'Search by Keyword.' Read through lots of helpful questions and answers. Remember, every little tidbit counts when you are trying to build the world's greatest roller coaster for your class project!
Roller Coaster Physics - Watch a roller coaster speed up and slow down as it goes up hill, followed by a free fall; next it will be in projectile motion and then acceleration, followed by friction, and centrifugal force. Is that enough physical and emotional stress?? Watch the ball on your screen and apply what you see to your project.

Roller Coaster Simulations
Roller Coaster Simulator - Get ready to take lots of rides and experiment on lots of coasters. Click on any of the following: The Simple Roller Coaster The Most Often Used Calculations Getting the Coaster Started Weightlessness Hills and Dips (and Projectile Motion) Loops Physiological Effects of Acceleration Center of Mass Horizontal and Banked Curves HAVE FUN & LEARN!
Roller Coaster Video Expo - Take your pick. Learn about any of the following by watching roller coasters in action: measurements & forces; centripetal acceleration; energy; acceleration; loops; gravitional forces, banking angles; and designing your own coaster. Pay attention and put it all together so you will create the best roller coaster project ever!

Practice Designing Your Own Roller Coaster
Amusement Park Physics - Design a Roller Coaster online. Try your hand at designing a model of the roller coaster you may use in class. You will be building a coaster using the physics concepts that are used to design real 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. When you're done, your coaster will need to pass an inspection for both safety and fun. Good luck!
Funderstanding Roller Coasters! - It is your mission to design a roller coaster that will allow you to achieve maximum thrills and chills without crashing or flying off the track (unless that's how you like your coaster to work!). If you accept this mission you must decide on a number of factors. You are responsible for setting the controls for the height of hill #1, hill #2, the size of the loop, the initial speed of the coaster, its mass, the gravity at work and the amount of friction on the track. Put on your thinking cap and hold on for the ride!

Inventors of Roller Coasters
Best & Worst Coasters - Explore the best and the worst in coaster design to get insight into your own roller coaster design. Find out what attracts the most visitors.
Inventing the Scream Machine - Who in the world ever thought up this death-defying, crazy idea? Learn about the history of roller coasters and the creativity of the inventors.

Roller Coaster Safety
Thrills & Chills Without the Spills - How do roller coaster designers keep riders from falling out and cars on the track, even when the cars are upside down? What forces are involved? Which materials produce greater or fewer vibrations? Which existing roller coasters are the safest? The fastest? How many loops can a roller coaster have?

Content by Sandy Figoten, sfigoten@windsorct.org
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listrollercsa.html
Last revised Mon Feb 5 7:31:14 US/Pacific 2007