The Scream Machine: Extreme Engineering

Introduction

The crazy scientist Dr. Scaduto has decided to open an amusement park in order to pursue his demented experiments on motion. This amusement park, to be called Scadutos' Scream Land, will have rides that will allow him to observe all types of motion so that he can study speed, velocity, and acceleration using real live people! Heee heee hee arrrgghghhh! Dr. Scadutos is twiddling his fingers with delight as he imagines all the crazy types of motion he will see. Twisting, twirling, slipping, sliding, falling, right-side-up, upside-down....the possibilities are endless!  

Task

You and your three partners are hired to design the perfect roller coaster using the Funderstanding roller coaster. The Scream Machine is a roller coaster that will be the selling point of the entire park, so it is critical that it is designed to be as scary and exciting as possible. Dr. Scadutos is counting on your team to make the Scream Machine into a world-famous, record breaking, thrilling ride that will keep visitors coming back to the park over and over again.

Your group will use their knowledge of motion, force, acceleration, free fall, kinetic and potential energy, the law of conservation of energy/momentum, circular motion, angular momentum and other physics principles in order to complete your task. To convince the other members of the class that your design for the Scream Machine is superior, you will prepare a Google Presentation and explain your plans. You will also create a prototype of the roller coaster to demonstrate that your idea is scientifically accurate enough to exist in the real world.

Process

Dr. Scaduto has some high expectations. Are you and your teammates up to the challenge? Let's Begin!!

Part 1: Individual Responsibilities

First, everyone should review the basics of forces and motion in an amusement park by reviewing Amusement Park Physics and  Parkworld. Additionally, each member of your team must score a 8/10 on the roller coaster benchmark quiz before moving on to PART 2. the topics of the bench mark are physics of each element, whether or not it will be used in your design (spring launch, loop de loop, drop, high hill, tunnel, steep turn, jump). There is one design specification that must be used, each roller coaster must begin with a launch (spring propulsion).

Next,  take a look at the information provided on the following roles: Design Engineer, Efficiency Specialist, Safety Inspector, and Artistic Consultant. The better informed you are about the roles the better choice you will make in picking yours.

• Design Engineer

The Design Engineer will design the layout of the track. He or she will be responsible to make sure that the coaster gains enough speed to finish the track and complete each loop. The coaster must function according to the laws of physics and must be tested on simulators and with the roller coaster modeling equipment. Also, the coaster must incorporate enough excitement that people will want to come back and ride it again and again! The Design Engineer must work closely with all other team members to make sure that the coaster is efficient, safe, and interesting to look at. 

If necessary, review the basics of Newton's Laws. 

In the construction of the coaster, the Design Engineer should study the following coaster simulators:

 Roller Coaster Builder 

To make sure that your coaster has a balance between fun and safety, work with the Safety Inspector on this coaster simulator.  

Then move on to the more complicated roller coaster builder.   

• Efficiency Specialist

The Efficiency Specialist will design the line formation into the coaster as well as the exit from the coaster. This team member will also design the car in which the passengers will ride, and will be responsible for researching types of coaster cars and the methods by which they work. An important consideration for this job is the number of passengers that fit in each car and how they are seated, although the Efficiency Specialist must also make sure that the cars don't travel too fast or too slow at any time and don't get stuck.

To study roller coaster cars, begin at Forces at the Fun Fair.

The Efficiency Specialist will also advise the Design Engineer on the best length of time the coaster should take. Too long, and people might get bored; too short, and they won't bother! Compare the rides at Ultimate Roller Coaster and think about how long you want your ride to take. Then read about the braking system on the Matterhorn and how it contributes to managing the crowd. 

• Safety Inspector

The Safety Inspector will design all of the safety features of the coaster and cars so that deaths and injuries are prevented. These features would include lap belts, safety bars, computerized speed monitors, and back-up mechanisms.The coaster should also be designed so that as few people as possible vomit, since this creates a mess that others might slip on or have to clean up. However, there is no way to prevent every person from vomiting since some are simply more sensitive than others! The Safety Inspector will work closely with the Design Engineer and the Efficiency Expert to make sure their plans won't kill anybody or leave them injured. First, research the roller coaster safety features. 

Work with the Design Engineer on this coaster simulator. You should agree on a rating that is both exciting and safe.

While still paying attention to safety, try this rollercoaster builder. 

Then check out this web page. It will fill you in on the technological advancements which have resulted in safer roller coasters. This should help you decide which designs are too dangerous or too vomit-inducing to use on your own coaster: 

Coaster Safety.  

• Artistic Consultant

The Artistic Consultant will design the landscaping and building(s) surrounding the coaster, including any tunnels or features that the coaster travels through. The Artistic Consultant is ultimately responsible for the theme of the coaster, and should consult with the Design Engineer and the Efficiency Expert to make sure that this theme is reflected in the structure of the track and the design of the cars. All colors, special effects, and objects viewed by the passengers are ultimately in control of the Artistic Consultant.

Begin by studying the history of roller coasters. Do you want your coaster to be more like a classic or a new, modern thriller?

Disneyland has some of the most intricately designed rides in the world. The first modern roller coaster was the Matterhorn. Also, check out the design of its Grizzly Peak ride at California Adventure.

To get more ideas about themes of roller coasters, look at some of these coasters throughout the world at

Ultimate Roller Coaster

Part 2: Team Discussion

After each team member has completed his or her research, you must discuss your findings with your teammates and explain what you have chosen to do for your part of the coaster. However, it is important to consider if your ideas will work well together. For example, if the Design Engineer has chosen a fast, looping, modern, steel coaster, and the Artistic Consultant has decided upon an Old West theme, how can these two ideas be brought together in the final design of the coaster?

If you have difficulty coming to an agreement, use this consensus guide. 

Part 3: Coaster Creation

Using the ideas you and your teammates have agreed upon, you will create a prototype of the coaster. The prototype will have two parts. One will be the model of the coaster's track using the clear plastic tubing and a marble to serve as the coaster. The Design Engineer and the Safety Inspector should work closely together as they prepare the prototype of the track because the design should be based on the research done online. 

The second part of the prototype will be a sketch made on poster paper and then photographed and scanned into your Google Presentation (Part 4). The Artistic Consultant and the Efficiency Expert should work together on this sketch, which should clearly show the line entering the roller coaster, a close-up of the roller coaster car, all of the the thematic features incorporated into the coaster's design, and the path exiting the coaster. Use the model of the coaster made out of the tubing to draw the design of the coaster's track. 

Part 4: Presentations

To share your coaster with the rest of the class, you will create

a presentation in Google Presentations. If you haven't used this tool before, don't worry! It is very much like Powerpoint. You can use this help guide for Google Presentations if you need to know how to do something.Your presentation should include the following slides prepared by different team members:

Design Engineer:

1)Photograph and/or embedded video of the prototype of the track using plastic tubing. 

2) Explanation of the features choosen for the track and the science of how they work.

3) Explanation of what you learned about energy and motion as they relate to the design of a coaster's track from your work on the simulators. 

Efficiency Expert:

1) Photograph of the sketch of the coaster car. 

2)  Explanation of why the car's design was selected based on the efficiency of loading and unloading. 

3) Explanation of the line into and out of the coaster cars and any features that assist with the flow of people and/or coaster cars during the ride.  

Safety Inspector:

1) Description of safety features in the car

2) Description of safety features in the track 

3) Explanation of the possible risks when safety features are inadequate 

Artistic Consultant:

1) Photograph of the sketch of the coaster

2) Explanation of the theme of the coaster and how it is incorporated into buildings, landscaping, track, and cars. 

3) A close-up photograph of a sketch of at least one part of the coaster mentioned in #2 showing the incorporation of the theme.  

Evaluation

Your coaster and presentation will be evaluated based on the following criteria. 

Conclusion

Congratulations! Dr. Scaduto is pleased with your work, no doubt. You have now completed the process of designing your own roller coaster. By working together, you have seen the essential contributions of all members of the team. A roller coaster is more than just a thrilling track of steel or wood. The entire experience is essential to making sure that guests return to ride again and again. 

By now you must have realized the importance of keeping in mind the Laws of Motion when designing a moving structure such as a roller coaster. All you have learned about potential and kinetic energy, average and instantaneous speed,  and how to change an object's velocity should have been critical sources of knowledge while designing your coaster. Write a letter as a team to Dr. Scaduto describing your experience in designing the coaster and explaining to him why you made the choices seen in your design. How did the simulators and websites help you determine what to do or what not to do? 

You were probably also intrigued by the designs presented by your classmates. Everyone has their own ideas, and their own unique ways to solve the problem with which you were faced. What do you think of the other teams' designs? Include in your letter to Dr. Sunfishius a recommendation about some other designs  you found intriguing. If he decides to add rides to the park, whose designs should he choose and why? 

Some of you may feel that designing roller coasters is in your future. Be sure to check out the job description for a roller coaster designer. 

If you think designing rides is the thing for you, be sure to read about some successful theme parks such as Disneyland.

Original Author: Adrienne Vinnard

Accessed at http://questgarden.com/146/79/1/120723212509/credits.htm 

Students will work together to design all parts of a roller coaster.

Teacher Introduction

This Web Quest is designed to provide students with a real-life application of the eighth grade physcial science curriculum. Specifically, it focuses on the motion standards and how they relate to an actual moving object- a roller coaster! Since students have generally ridden a number of roller coasters, they probably have their own ideas about themes and designs to make a unique ride. This WebQuest will allow them the opportunity to test their ideas on roller coaster simulators online to see if their plans are scientifically accurate.