NAME __________________________________________ DATE _____________ PERIOD_________
ROLLER COASTER – POTENTIAL AND KINETIC ENERGY
TASK 1: Background Knowledge
1. What is potential energy?
2. What is kinetic energy?
3. When creating a roller coaster do you want more PE or KE? Why?
TASK 2: Research
4.
5.
6.
7.
Go to the study resources link on my page and click on the ROLLER COASTER LINK.
Click on LEARN HOW TO CRAFT A SUPER COASTER.
Read the text from Madhu about tsunamis and roller coasters as she reads it aloud.
What is the correlation between tsunamis and roller coasters?
a.
8. Notice the equations for potential energy (PE) and kinetic energy (KE) at the top of the page. Record
them below. (“G” stands for gravity)
PE =
KE =
9. What two variables will increase the amount of energy in your system?
10. Why is the first hill important?
TASK 3: Hypothesis
11. What do you want your coaster to look like? How will you design your first track?
12. Why do your think this will work?
NAME __________________________________________ DATE _____________ PERIOD_________
TASK 4: Build!
13. On the home page, click BUILD A ROLLER COASTER RIGHT NOW!
14. Choose your design and number of cars.
TRIAL 1:
15. What is the MASS of your coaster? ________________________kg
16. What is the height of your first hill? ________________________m
17. How many? Hills ________________________ Loops__________________
18. Test your track! What was the outcome? (CRASH, SUCCESS, or STUCK?)
19. Why do you think this is?
20. What does the red bar stand for?
21. What does the green bar stand for?
22. What does the orange bar stand for?
TASK 5: Revise
23. REVISE! Try again if it does not work. Record for each round what happens.
Trial #
Height of
1st hill
Number
of hills
Number
of loops
What did you change?
Outcome:
CRASH, SUCCESS, or
STUCK?
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Once you are successful, pick up an exit ticket and complete the questions about your coaster. 
NAME __________________________________________ DATE _____________ PERIOD_________
ROLLER COASTER – EXIT TICKET
Fill in the blank: (increases or decreases)
1. As height increases, potential energy ____________________________.
2. As height increases, kinetic energy ______________________________.
3. As speed increases, kinetic energy ______________________________.
4. As speed increases, potential energy ______________________________.
5. What do you think dissipated energy is? (Clue: it is related to sound and friction.)
6. When creating a roller coaster do you want more PE or KE? Why?
7. WRITE ABOUT IT! - In the space below…
If 3rd grader wanted to know the “secret” behind making a successful roller coaster, what would you tell them?
Using simple language, write down a brief explanation for how to design a successful roller coaster track.
Include the words, “height, speed, and energy conversion” in your explanation.