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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physics of Roller Coasters

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students design a roller coaster and demonstrate their knowledge of Potential and Kinetic Energy. They determine the average velocity a given marble travels on their roller coaster and apply their knowledge of various measurement systems...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Roller Coaster

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Roller coasters rely on both kinetic and potential energy, but how much total energy does a roller coaster need? Scholars vary the mass of a coaster and the height of the initial hill. Graphs showing the types of energy and total energy...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Amusement Park Physics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students conduct a series of experiments on conservation of energy and momentum. In this physics lesson, students investigate the factors affecting the period of the pendulum. They build a roller coaster and calculate the marble's...
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Activity
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Roller Coaster Mania!

For Teachers 3rd - 10th Standards
Raise the energy level of your physical science class with this exciting hands-on activity. Applying their knowledge of kinetic and potential energy and Newton's laws of motion, young engineers use foam tubing and marbles to create...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Build a Roller Coaster

For Students 3rd - 8th
Let the good times roll as young thrill seekers build a roller coaster on school grounds. Future engineers design and build a roller coaster from flexible tubing. The roller coaster is for a marble, so there will be plenty of room to let...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take a Roller Coaster Ride

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students investigate how roller coasters are built. In this physics lesson, students research the laws of physics that affect roller coaster construction. Students create their own roller coaster design.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roller Coasters

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tubularastic Roller Coaster

For Teachers 3rd
Students observe the effect of gravity on objects. They use tubing and other materials to simulate a roller caster. Afterward, they create a journal to write their observations and summaries.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ultimate Roller Coaster Contest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explain how conservation of energy applies to roller coasters. In this physics lesson, students construct their own coasters according to a specified criteria. They make modifications to their design when necessary. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roller Coaster Physics

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students design a roller coaster that allows a marble to run the course as fast as possible. Students create an experimental roller coaster taking into account the steepness of the hills and the sharpness of the turns. Students use a...
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Activity
Anchorage School District

Roller Coaster Project

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Emerging engineers work in teams to design pipe insulation roller coasters for marbles that meet specific parameters. They are required to label along the track the areas where kinetic and potential energy are highest and lowest, where...
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Lesson Plan
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Kenan Fellows

Engineering Skills Through Problem Based Learning

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Navigate the ups and downs of learning about energy. Future engineers consider how potential and kinetic energy apply to roller coasters. They design a roller coaster of their own and then use computer design software to showcase their...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Amusement Park Ride: The Ups and Downs in Design

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Groups design the ultimate roller coaster by considering potential and kinetic energy. They test their designs using marbles and then go on to rate each group's design based on aesthetics, loop diameter, and cost.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roller Coaster Simulator for the Magnetic Chalkboard: Construction Plans

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students watch a demonstration that allows the teacher to show Galileo's inertia experiment and how and why the hills on roller coasters are designed as they are. The roller coaster simulator can be mounted on a magnetic chalkboard;...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Roller Coaster

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe the law of conservation of energy. They identify the conversion between potential and kinetic energy. They investigate and describe the application of Newton's Laws of Motion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mathematical Modeling and Physics

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders use a web site to investigate roller coaster physics. For this mathematical modeling lesson, 12th graders are grouped according to their performance on a test. Each group is given an activity to complete on a web site...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physics of Roller Coasters

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars study the physics used to design today's roller coasters.  In this engineering lesson students complete several activities including designing their own roller coaster. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design Your Own Rollercoaster

For Teachers 5th
Here is a physics lesson that your 5th graders should love. They explore the physics behind roller coasters by viewing roller coaster simulations online. Then, they work in pairs in order to design their own roller coasters and track....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electricity's Attraction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the different features of a roller coaster using an interactive website. For this physical science lesson, students explain the role of science to make this thrill ride possible. They develop a creative presentation...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Loop-the-Loop

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
What prevents a roller coaster from falling when it goes upside down? Scholars experiment with a roller coaster simulation controlling the mass of the coaster, the height of the hill, and the radius of the loop. They learn which factors...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Energy Conservation Simulation

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Does the amount of a roller coaster's energy change as it goes along the track? Scholars investigate when a roller coaster has potential and kinetic energy. They observe the changes as it goes up the initial hill follows it throughout...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

This Is How We Roll!

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students research how roller coasters work. In this physics lesson, learners research the history of roller coasters and the safety factors in the design of a roller coaster on the website www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rockin Roller Coaster

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners discuss gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and the relationship between potential and kinetic energy. They create a working roller coaster from provided materials and criteria then evaluate each roller coaster. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roller Coaster Mania

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders extend their knowledge of developing maps. They work in cooperative groups to develop an amusement park display and a brochure.

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