The Roller Coaster Project Webquest

Wanted! Roller Coaster Design Team!

Congratulations! You have just been commissioned to design a roller coaster for the Honiss Amusement Park. The Board of Directors feel that a new, thrilling roller coaster is just what is needed to improve attendance and thus increase the profits of the park. They want you to design a rollercoaster that will be the "king of the park".

The Task

Your mission is to design a roller coaster that has at least one Loop and three hills. In trials of a model of your design, a marble placed at the start of the roller coaster must successfully navigate the entire roller coaster with out stopping and/or receiving outside power. In order for your design to be approved by the Board of Directors (your teacher), you will need to submit the following items:

1. Partner Selection form. Due 1/3/08
   
2. A list of roller coaster building materials your group has chosen to use. Due 1/7/08
   
3. Submit construction plans, theme, and a sketch of your roller coaster. Due 1/14/08
4. Journal. Due 1/22/08
5. Submit photos of your group's roller coaster model. Due 1/30/08
   
6. Create a 3-dimensional model of your roller coaster. Due 2/6/08
   
7. Create a multimedia presentation to "sell" your design to the Board of Directors (your teacher). Due 2/6/08
   

The Process

You will need to complete the following steps to accomplish this task:

1. Meet with your team. Decide what responsibilities each team member will have.
2. Start a journal to record information, thoughts and ideas. Start with brainstorming ideas about what you already know about roller coasters.
3. Write a list of questions you might need answered in order to design a "king of the park" roller coaster.
4. Research the history of roller coasters in America and the various successful roller coaster designs used in many amusement parks today.
5. Brainstorm ideas about the design you wish to create for your roller coaster.
6. Decide on a design and create a construction plan and a sketch of the roller coaster. Remember to decide on a theme and a name for your roller coaster. Bring both of these to the General Contractor for suggestions.
7. Build a 3-dimensional model of your design (Due Feb. 6th - 8th).
8. Test your model to see if it meets the criteria set forth by the Board of Directors in "The Task".
   • If your model does not meet the criteria, repeat steps 6 thru 8 until it meets the criteria.
   • If your model does meet the criteria move on to step 9.
9. Plan and create a multimedia presentation to the Board of Directors (your teacher) to "sell" your design.
10. Present your multimedia presentation to the Board of Directors.

Resources

Rollercoaster Physics Links

Rollercoaster Physics
The Ultimate Rollercoaster
Funderstanding Rollercoasters
Amusement Park Physics
Potential and Kinetic Coaster
Rollercoaster Design

Amusement Parks and Rides

Melago's Directory of Amusement Parks and Rollercoaster Links
Six Flags Amusement Parks
Rollercoasters Around the World
Discovery Online: Rollercoasters!
Rollercoaster!
The World of Coasters

Learning Advice

Working as a Group

You must remember that it is very important to use your time wisely. This is a team effort and it cannot be completed successfully unless all members of the team respect each other and work together to make their project the best. Remember to use the project journal to record all information, discussions, ideas and trials.

Gathering Information

Remember to title each page of your journal. Try to limit the number of different ideas on a page. If you must put more than one idea on a page, separate the ideas with a thick line and title each different idea. Be sure to use a variety of resources. Do not limit yourself to the links provided in the "Resources" section. Use books and interview people about their own personal experiences with roller coasters.

Creating a Multimedia Presentation

Remember to use the principles of good design when creating your presentation. The main purpose of this presentation is to convince the Board of Directors that your roller coaster is the one they should build.

Evaluation

Use these questions to make sure you a complete, well done project:

1. Do you have all of the parts of the project completed: a name and theme for your roller coaster, your journal, construction plans and sketches, your 3-dimensional model, the results of your trials, and your multimedia presentation?
2. Is your presentation convincing as to why your design should be picked as the new roller coaster for the Honiss Amusement Park?
3. Did you explain why you designed your roller coaster the way you did?
4. Did you work cooperatively with the other members of your team? Did all members of the team contribute equally?
5. Does your multimedia presentation follow the rules of good design? Is it interesting? Will it catch and hold the attention of your audience?

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Reflection

1. What was one thing you did during this activity that you think you will remember six months from now?
2. If you could change one thing about how you participated in this assignment, what would it be?
3. What are you most proud of in this project?
4. How did you organize the information you researched? Was it an effective method? What could you have done differently to make it more effective?

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Conclusion

In completing this project, you have explored the physics of rollercoasters. Based on this and what you heard from the other presentations in class, what did you learn about how rollercoasters work and what makes a rollercoaster a "king of the park" ride?

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Assessment

Please use the following questions to make sure your team has successfully completed the roller coaster webquest project:

1• Do you have all of the parts of the project completed: a name and theme for your roller coaster, your journal, construction plans and sketches, your 3-dimensional model, the results of your trials, and your multimedia presentation?

2• Is your presentation convincing as to why your design should be picked as the new roller coaster for the Honiss Amusement Park?

3• Did you explain why you designed your roller coaster the way you did?

4• Did you work cooperatively with the other members of your team? Did all members of the team contribute equally?

5• Does your multimedia presentation follow the rules of good design? Is it interesting? Will it catch and hold the attention of your audience?