Roller Coaster

Extravaganza!

Roller Coaster Extravaganza Overview

Objective:
The overall goal of the project is to work on practical, real-word problem solving skills. The project
focuses on being able to design and create a working roller coaster on a small scale, similar to what engineers
in the real world might do before building a life-sized one. You will be asked to test materials to figure out how
they work, create a very detailed diagram of your roller coaster, test it out to find and fix any problems, then
write up a reflection of your design process.
Stage 1: Planning (in class - Tuesday March 29th)

Experiment with a limited amount of supplies.

Determine what works and does not work with the track.
Create a rough draft of your proposed full-scale coaster design that youd like to build.

Stage 2: Initial Testing (in class - Thursday March 31st)

Take your rough design and try it out.

See what does/doesnt work, and adjust your design.
Create very detailed build notes to help you with your build

Stage 3: Poster, the Final Draft (in class - Monday April 4th bring your own poster paper)

Create your final draft of your design on a poster.

This is the first of two major components to your turn in grade.

Stage 4: Project Write-Up (due Thursday April 7th)

On one/several sheets of paper, you will create a reflection of your project experience.
I will have questions to guide your reflection.
This is the second major component to your turn in grade.

Stage 5: Final Test Day (in class - Tuesday April 5th)

You will have a limited amount of time to get your final coaster designs setup and ready to test.

Missing Days
If you miss a day or multiple days, you are responsible for making up the points that you missed. Until I
receive your make-up work, you will receive a ZERO for the days that you missed.
For each day that you missed, on a sheet of notebook paper:
o Talk to your group members about what you missed.
o ON YOUR OWN TIME, write a to 1 page summary of what you missed for each day that
you were gone.
o In order to earn full points for the days you missed, your write-up needs to be detailed, complete
and worthy of the points missed.

Productive Group Work

Part of your score for each section comes from productive group work Here is what I expect to
observe if you wish to earn full points for this each day of the project.
o All group members are on task, and working.
o I do not see off-task behavior.

Wandering

Talking with other groups

Socializing

o Group members are working well together with no fighting or arguing

o Groups are using their time well.
o Groups are creating a safe work environment.

Roller Coaster Extravaganza Score Sheet

Team Name_______________________________________________
Group Members ____________________________________________________________________________
GOAL

Score
Possible

Comments
Stage 1: Planning

Productive Work

Rough Draft

8
Stage 2: Testing the Design

Productive Work

Updated Rough
Draft

3
Stage 3: Poster Final

Productive Work

Neatness

Detailed Design

10

Energy Labels

Craftiness

5
Stage 4: Write-up

Productive Work

Spelling/Grammar

Neatness

Proper Format

Thoughtfulness of
Responses

15
Stage 5: Build Day

Productive Work

Works within
Three Tries

Loop ____

Jump____

Corkscrew____

Creative____

Bonus Points
Total Score ----

?
75

Your
Score

Stage 1: Planning
Objective:
The goal of this stage is to experiment with some of the supplies that you will have available to you
during the final stages of the extravaganza. Your group will need to come up with a basic plan for what coaster
design youd like to attempt during your large scale test build.
You will be given:
o ONE piece of open tubing
o ONE foot of tape
o ONE foot of string
o A marble

Things you have available on your large scale, but NOT today:
o One FULL piece of tubing (a tunnel)

You can also bring other things from home (within reason), but are responsible for them.

Directions:
1. Practice working with the materials that have been provided.
a. How well does it bend, twist, etc?
b. How steep of a hill can we use without the marble freefalling instead of rolling?
c. What type of connections can we make to objects in the classroom?
d. How far does a 6ft chunk of track really go once its got hills, loops, etc?
2. Use your small-scale tests to create a detailed diagram of what your large-scale coaster will look like.
a. Your large-scale design should be 3-5 (or more) pieces of track long.
b. Lightly sketch out your possible coaster design on your poster paper.
c. Clearly identify where each piece of tubing will be.
d. Mark connection points (tape, string, chairs, walls, etc)
e. Make notes on your scratch poster to outline any key design points that arent self-explanatory.
f. Make sure you include a marble catcher in your design.
Note: If you get done with this stage early, you MAY NOT CONTINUE TO STAGE 2!
1. Use any extra time to:
a. Try out a few more design possibilities.
b. Make your rough poster better, neater, etc.

Stage 2: Testing the Design

Objective:
The goal of this stage is to test out the design that you created in stage 1. You will be using your rough
draft to create your design and test it out. If you find that you need to tweak your design, make these changes
on your rough draft.
Directions:
1. Use your rough draft design to create your proposed coaster.
a. See what works, and what doesnt work.
2. NEATLY update your rough draft with any changes that you decide to make.
3. Dont waste your time, because when your practice build time is up, its up!
4. While testing out your coaster, make NEAT, but DETAILED notes on your poster about how to get each
part to work.
a. The notes are for YOUR group! Write notes that help YOU in your final build.
i. Exactly how to connect something to make it work
ii. Twisting something just so
iii. Making sure a hill is steep enough, but not TOO steep

Note: If you get done with this stage early, you MAY NOT CONTINUE TO STAGE 3!
1. Make sure youre REALLY done!

Stage 3: Poster The Final Draft

Objective:
The goal of this stage is to create your final poster. The poster should be a masterpiece that highlights the
wonders of your roller coaster. One-third of your grade will come from this portion of the project. Remember,
it is your job to keep your poster clean, neat, unwrinkled, and free of messy eraser marks!
Directions:
1. Create your final draft of your poster
b. Your poster should be very detailed, neat, and easy to read.
c. Your poster should FILL the paper No large empty spaces (add scenery, background, etc)
d. Poster should have proper spelling, grammar, etc.
e. Just like your rough draft, the final should highlight key points in the design (places it attaches to
walls, chairs, etc.)
f. The general idea is that someone could pick up your poster and recreate your design at a BASIC
level.
g. You do NOT need to include all the detailed notes from your rough draft.
h. Clearly mark ONE place where your roller coaster has:
i. Maximum PEgrav
ii. Maximum KE
iii. KE PEgrav
iv. PEgrav KE
2. Are you done?
3. Are you sure?

Stage 4: The Write-up

Objective:
This is the most academic portion of your project. Like the final poster, this is worth 1/3 of your final
grade. In this stage, you will create the written portion of your project. The writing will highlight some of the
things you learned throughout the project. It will have you make some ties between this project and how
engineering in the real world works. It is critical that all members of the group participate in this write-up so
you can present the best product possible!
Directions:
1. Complete the project write-up
a. Grab a CLEAN, UNWRINKLED sheet of notebook paper.
b. In the upper right corner, NEATLY put everyones name.
c. In the top center, put the name of your group.
d.

Create a DETAILED, COMPLETE write-up.

e.

Follow all the guidelines.

f.

Answer ALL the questions.

o GUIDELINES:

Questions should be answered in paragraph form.

Each question is a NEW paragraph.

Each answer should be DETAILED and show THOUGHT and DISCUSSION.

EXPLAIN! (How? Why?, etc)

Use proper grammar, spelling, etc.

Neatness counts!

Using the back of your paper is fine

o ASSIGNMENT:
1. BEFORE STARTING the Roller Coaster Extravaganza, what did the members of your group feel
would be the biggest challenge? (building the actual coaster, working together as a team, designing
the coaster, the write-up, poster, etc.) MAKE SURE YOU EXPLAIN!
2. What were some of the problems that you ran into during stage two, your build stage? EXPLAIN!

3. How did you overcome these problems? EXPLAIN!

4. Were there some problems that you COULDNT solve? EXPLAIN!
5. What did you do about these problems that you couldnt solve?
6. During your rough draft design stage, you were only allowed a limited amount of material. What are
some ways that this was HELPFUL in creating your design?
7. What are some ways that having a limited amount of material was HARMFUL?
8. Engineers and designers in the real world approach problems by starting small scale, designing things
on paper, and then going large-scale like you did on your rollercoaster. Why do you think they do
this? EXPLAIN!

Done early? MAKE IT BETTER!

Stage 5: The Final Build Day

Objective:
The day youve been waiting for! On this day, you will take your final coaster design that youve spent so
long planning out, youll build it, and youll see if it works. Once the given build time is over, we will go
around the room, giving each team three chances to show that their coaster design works. It is imperative that
all group members work together on this so the coaster can be built and tweaked in time for the tests.
Directions:
1. Build your coaster!
2. Be sure to not interfere with any other groups.
3. Stay on task!
4. Stay with your groupdont wander.
5. By the end of the time, you need to have your coaster working well (it MUST work within the first three
tries to get your points!)
6. DONT WASTE TIME!
7. Not that it will happen, but if you get done early, make your coaster MORE perfect!

Mar. 9, 16

Stage 4 Example Answer

Question 2:
What were some of the problems that you ran into during stage two, your
build stage? EXPLAIN!

Poor Response:
Some of the problems we had during Stage 2 were our loop not working
correctly, and our marble falling off the track.
This is a POOR response because it doesnt include any details, or
explanation of how/why these two things were a problem.
Good Response:
One of the problems we had during Stage two was our loop not working
correctly. If we didnt have the angle of the track just right, or if our track wiggled
at all, our marble wouldnt make it around the loop. Another problem was that our
marble would fall off the track in a few spots. Either the marble was going too fast
(it would jump), or the track wouldnt be lined up quite right, and the marble would
roll over the wall of the track.
This is a GOOD response because it tells us WHY/HOW the issues were a
problem.