Roller coasters, Kinetic Energy, and Potential Energy!

In science class, we are learning about kinetic and potential energy. To help us understand about speed and velocity, we were assigned to build a roller coaster out of cardboard, plastic, and more materials. A marble has to be able to travel through the coaster. It has to have four hills and either a bend or a loop. After we finished creating The Extreme Bender, we had to time the marble while it rolled down the Bender. Then, we had to figure out the highest point of the Roller coaster. When we finished recording our data, we had to gather all of the information, and label the coaster with the speed, velocity, highest point, and lowest point.

The Extreme Bender relates to Newton's Laws because it has to do with energy and movement. Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object. If you stretch a rubber band, you will give it potential energy. As the rubber band is released, potential energy is changed to motion. Kinetic energy is energy of motion. A rubber band flying through the air has kinetic energy. When you are walking or running your body is exhibiting kinetic energy. Potential energy can also be converted into kinetic energy. Before a yo-yo begins its fall, it has stored energy due to its position. At the top it has its maximum potential energy. As it starts to fall the potential energy begins to be changed into kinetic energy. At the bottom its potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy so that it now has its maximum kinetic energy. A waterfall has both potential and kinetic energy too. The water at the top of a fall stores potential energy. When the water begins to fall, its potential energy is changed into kinetic energy.

This project relates to science because it is about speed, velocity, and energy. It definitely helped me understand about energy more. I really enjoyed creating the coaster, and in the future, I would like to experiment more with building and creating structures.

If you would like to learn more about building roller coasters, visit these sites:

Learn how to build a successful roller coaster here:

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics/coaster/

How Newton's Laws relate to roller coasters:

http://library.thinkquest.org/2745/data/ke.htm