8 th Grade Science-Rollercoaster Challenge

Transcription

1 8 th Grade Science-Rollercoaster Challenge Unit 3: Motion and Forces-Physical Science 2 Standards: PASS: Standard 2: Motions and Forces - The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed as prescribed by Newton's Laws of Motion. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the process standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives: 1. The motion of an object can be measured. The position of an object, its speed, and direction can be represented on a graph. 2. An object that is not being subjected to a net force will continue to move at a constant velocity (i.e., inertia, balanced and unbalanced forces). NGSS: Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.] Objective: Day 1: The learner will be able to describe how Newton s laws of motion create different types of energy in a rollercoaster. Day 2: The learner will be able to discuss how Newton s laws of motion apply to safety harnesses on moving vehicles, with an emphasis on rollercoasters. Day 3: The learner will be able to plan and investigate how forces and mass on an object can change the object s motion and type of energy by creating an investigative report about the processes that go into building a rollercoaster. The learner will be able to keep a balance of credits and expenditures while building a rollercoaster. The learner will be able to sketch designs created in order to build a rollercoaster. The learner will be able to create a moving vehicle that will keep individuals safe as they ride the rollercoaster. The learner will be able to make collaborative decisions by planning and implementing an investigation. 1

2 Essential Question: How do engineers use science to create a fun and safe rollercoaster for the public? Bloom s Taxonomy: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create Multiple Intelligences: Visual, Kinesthetic, Tactual, Auditory, Linguistic, and Logical/Math Differentiation: Working with peers of various levels and formative questioning Assessment: Timed Pair Shares, Round tables, Rubric Time Frame: 2-2 1/2 weeks DAY 1: DAY 1: (5 Minutes) Engage: Show students the video of a front-seat perspective on the Titan roller coaster at Six Flags. (5-10 Minutes) Explore: Have students, working individually or in small groups, create their own roller coasters using the simulator at (25 Minutes) Explain: Use the attached PowerPoint to facilitate conversations about motion and energy. The following videos are embedded in the PowerPoint: What is Kinetic and Potential Energy? and Newton s 3 Laws with a Bicycle laws-with-a-bicycle 10 Minutes: Have pairs of students read the following article excerpt, Loop-the-Loops, with students taking turns reading paragraphs aloud. 2 Minutes: Have reading pairs discuss the following question: Question/Task: How do engineers build up enough energy for the rollercoaster car to make it safely through a loop on a rollercoaster? 5 Minutes Explore: Discuss the importance of safety while using a motorized vehicle. Emphasize the use of safety harnesses (seat belts in cars or rollercoasters). Have the students share around the table group how a safety harness has kept them safe while using a variety of motorized vehicles. Have each group share out one experience with the class. 2

3 From: A teardrop-shaped vertical loop in the Canyon Blaster at the Adventure Dome in Las Vegas Photo courtesy of Coaster Central Loop-the-Loops As you go around a loop-the-loop, your inertia not only produces an exciting acceleration force, but it also keeps you in the seat when you're upside down. A roller coaster loop-the-loop is a sort of centrifuge, just like a merry-go-round. In a merry-go-round, the spinning platform pushes you out in a straight line away from the platform. The constraining bar at the edge of the merry-go-round stops you from following this path -- it is constantly accelerating you toward the center of the platform. The loop-the-loop in a roller coaster acts exactly the same way as a merry-go-round. As you approach the loop, your inertial velocity is straight ahead of you. But the track keeps the coaster car, and therefore your body, from traveling along this straight path. The force of your acceleration pushes you from the coaster-car floor, and your inertia pushes you into the car floor. Your own outward inertia creates a sort of false gravity that stays fixed at the bottom of the car even when you're upside down. You need a safety harness for security, but in most loop-the-loops, you would stay in the car whether you had a harness or not. 3

4 As you move around the loop, the net force acting on your body is constantly changing. At the very bottom of the loop, the acceleration force is pushing you down in the same direction as gravity. Since both forces push you in the same direction, you feel especially heavy at this point. As you move straight up the loop, gravity is pulling you into your seat while the acceleration force is pushing you into the floor. You feel the gravity pulling you into your seat, but (if your eyes are still open) you can see that the ground is no longer where it should be. At the top of the loop, when you're completely upside down, gravity is pulling you out of your seat, toward the ground, but the stronger acceleration force is pushing you into your seat, toward the sky. Since the two forces pushing you in opposite directions are nearly equal, your body feels very light. As in the sharp descent, you are almost weightless for the brief moment when you are at the top of the loop. As you come out of the loop and level out, you become heavy again. The loop-the-loop is amazing because it crams so much into such a short length of track. The varying forces put your body through the whole range of sensations in a matter of seconds. While these forces are shaking up all the parts of your body, your eyes see the entire world flip upside down. To many coaster riders, this moment at the top of the loop, when you're light as a feather and all you can see is the sky, is the best part of the whole ride. In a loop-the-loop, the intensity of the acceleration force is determined by two factors: the speed of the train and the angle of the turn. As the train enters the loop, it has maximum kinetic energy -- that is, it is moving at top speed. At the top of the loop, gravity has slowed the train down somewhat, so it has more potential energy and less kinetic energy - - it is moving at reduced speed. Originally, roller-coaster designers made circle-shaped loops. In this design, the angle of the turn is constant all the way around. In order to build an acceleration force strong enough to push the train into the track at the top of the loop, they had to send the train 4

5 into the loop at a fairly high rate of speed (so it would still be going pretty fast at the top of the loop). Greater speed meant a much greater force on the rider as he entered the loop, which could be fairly uncomfortable. The teardrop design makes it much easier to balance these forces. The turn is much sharper at the very top of the loop than it is along the sides. This way, you can send the train through the loop fast enough that it has an adequate acceleration force at the top of the loop, while the teardrop shape creates a reduced acceleration force along the sides. This gives you the force you need to keep everything running, without applying too much force where it might be dangerous. 5

6 DAY 2: Explore (continued) 2 Minutes: Review a few of the shared experiences from Day 1 share out. 10 Minutes: HealthTeacher Activity (Standard 5) Motorized Vehicle Safety 1. Teachers should log on to 2. Hover over lessons and click on alignments. 3. Expand the Social and Personal Perspectives section. 4. Click on Safety on Motorized Vehicles. 5. Choose the Safe Riding Comic Book Activity. 6. As you move through the project, emphasize safety while using moving vehicles such as rollercoasters. 6-8 Minutes Explain: For about two minutes, allow students to share about their cartoons and why their character made a decision to be safe. For about four minutes, students should think-pair-share for 20 seconds each about the following question (Make sure to give them think time before they share.): Question/Task: Using Newton s laws of motion, explain what would have happened to the character if he or she had chosen to ride a ride at the amusement park that he or she was not tall enough or too tall for. For the rest of class begin to introduce the upcoming Rollercoaster Challenge 6

7 Rollercoaster Challenge Information: Elaborate: Students need to be assigned to cooperative groups. Each student should be assigned a role: Record Keeper, Organizer, and Sketch Artist Record Keeper: This person is responsible for keeping track of funds. He or she will take money and purchase items from the store, keep track of money spent, and keep track of money coming in. This student will keep a record book. Organizer: This person will be in charge of making sure that all aspects of the rollercoaster are being thought of, such as: are where is the science? cards being completed?, is the group including safety ideas?, was a problem statement created?, how will materials be stored?, how clean up will occur?, etc. Sketch Artist: This person is in charge of drawing the sketches that the group designs. He or She will record mathematical data on the charts (such as Kinetic Energy, Potential Energy, Heights, Circumferences, etc.) NOTE: All students will rotate through being the CHIME person for a day. All students should be designing and helping other members. Just because something does not technically fall into your area of expertise does not mean that it doesn t need to be taken care of for a successful project. Work TOGETHER! 5 Minutes at the end of class each day: Students will be encouraged to tell a CHIME once per week. A CHIME is one finding or question from previous testing from the day. These are done in larger groups comprised of 3-5 teams. Students should be aware of CHIME rules. Teachers need to create an environment of trust and respect among teams. There is never any laughing at another s idea, and all comments during CHIME can contribute to all team projects. Any postings that will not be answered will be put on the Parking Lot of Ideas (a poster created by the teacher in the room). These questions/comments are addressed for a few minutes at the first of class every day. *During this project students are allowed to be working on their rollercoaster, sketches, record keeping, brainstorming, shopping at the store, or working on the simulator. 7

8 DAY 4-Rollercoaster Challenge: Rules: No props/no chairs - floor and walls only Each week or each day-give students a goal: Are they testing for fun?, safety?, etc. 10 Minutes: Individual students will read Roller Coaster Challenge (which follows) out loud. A fun individual sketch will be drawn, with focus on placement of loops and how the marble will have the longest ride, i.e, get to the end of the track. Then each student will work with his or her group to reach consensus to choose the best sketch or to combine ideas. 5 Minutes: Students will then test this sketch with Roller Coaster Simulator two times, noting any modifications to their original design in pencil. ( Minutes: They then will take these ideas and start testing with the actual model in groups. While testing, they will be asked to: (about 45 minutes) Buy materials as accountant does the math on balance sheet Change one modification at a time Measure rise, run, circumference of loops, distances marbles stop at, etc. Record great science or math application on floor next to area it applies on coaster with index cards Remember to record trade-offs and modifications Use a blue post-it for one great finding, and a yellow post-it for one great question to process when we are in group CHIME 5-10 Minutes: Gather together and share question and finding with larger group in CHIME, and monies for the day and on Fridays, plan for the next day. 8

9 Ms. Thrilla, the owner of the Ride of Your Life Amusement Park needs your help in designing the optimal roller coaster ride. She will need for you to create a model of a roller coaster, using just the materials provided to you or those that you rent or purchase. It must include at least one loop and no more than two loops. You have four class periods to design the optimal coaster. The roller coaster model will be judged on the following: Safety: The marble (train) must stay on the track at all times! Fun: (Length of Ride, Speed, and # of loops) Length of Ride: The longest ride is definitely the most fun! Speed (Velocity): Your team s ride will be timed with a stopwatch, the faster the time, the more fun! # of Loops: The more loops, the more fun! Remember to fill out all the requirements that good engineers, mathematicians, and scientists must complete in your Design Portfolio! Always remember to test your design and record each rise and run! Also remember that good engineers are great researchers, take good notes on your background research! Good Luck! Engineer Team Name: Engineer s Name: 9

10 Roller Coaster Physics Balance Sheet Item Cost Work Shown Total 10

11 MATERIALS LIST ROLLER COASTER CHALLENGE Foam Core Insulation Small Mass Marble Large Mass Marble Masking Tape $0.75 per 50 cm. (5 dm) $2.50 (each week you use it) $3.05 (each week you use it) $0.85 per dm. ** If more than 4 dm. are used, you are charged an additional $4.25 every two dm. RENTAL FEES Ruler $2.00 per day Plastic Cup for tunnel $6.25 Additional Materials? Engineers can EARN money the following ways: Record a trade-off and/or modification each day o $2.25 for each one Good Accounting each day/ Sketching o $1.50 each Good Recording including rise, run, height and width of loops, where marble is from end of track, etc. o $4.50 Make a connection! Use index cards near key places on your track where the physics research and math you learned applies. o $4.75 PATENTS: $6.25 (For each team that wants to buy your design 11

12 Extra connection-index card at roller coaster site o $4.00 Post-its One Blue (Finding) One Yellow (Question) for Chime o $

13 TEAM NAME Date: TESTING FOR: Modification: Trade-Off: CHIMING: Our Finding: Our Question: 13

14 DAY 5 and beyond-rollercoaster Challenge: 2-3 Minutes: All classes from here on out will start with a few minutes of the Parking Lot Idea board. 5 Minutes: Students will then spend time testing out ideas on the simulator Minutes: They then will take these ideas and start testing with the actual model in groups. While testing, they will be asked to: (about 45 minutes) Buy materials as accountant does the math on balance sheet Change one modification at a time Measure rise, run, circumference of loops, distances marbles stop at, etc. Record great science or math application on floor next to area it applies on coaster with index cards Remember to record trade-offs and modifications Use a blue post-it for one great finding, and a yellow post-it for one great question to process when we are in group CHIME 5-10 Minutes: Gather together and share question and finding with larger group in CHIME, and monies for the day and on Fridays, plan for the next day or the next week. **Every group should start off with the same amount of supplies and monies at no charge. Fake monies Foam core insulation Sandpaper Masking tape Small mass marble Plastic cups Journal Toothpicks Rubber squares Large mass marble Ruler *If the group would like to add more tracks or needs more tape, more toothpicks, etc., they will need to go shopping for more supplies. It is up to teacher discretion as to when there is a sale at the store, when prices go up, etc. *There are many ideas you could incorporate. Here a couple to get you started: Students who need some re-teaching of concepts or extra practice may need to wait on a permit or maybe there are weather delays in their construction and so on. They could write a proposal for extra funds. 14

15 (2 Class Periods) Evaluate: (Students will need computers for this section) Have students create a presentation to the class about what they learned during their challenge. They should use the rubric as a guide and include the following concepts and how they apply to their experience with creating the rollercoaster. They can use any form of media they choose, including multi-media. They must show how their rollercoaster performed. The teacher may use the attached rubric or create one. Science Practices: Models Use evidence to make arguments Asking questions Investigating Using mathematics and computational thinking Science Concepts being taught: Safety (lab and motorized vehicle) Centripetal force Kinetic energy Potential energy Mass Force Momentum Friction Velocity Health Concepts: Decision making Safety Team building/collaboration Math Concepts: Multiplication Division Addition Subtraction Formulas for KE and PE Monies Reading and Writing Concepts: Evaluating and critiquing self and peer writing Reading and Interpreting scientific documents Scientific writing Using evidence to make arguments 15

16 Rollercoaster Challenge Rubric CATEGORY Modification/Testing Clear evidence of troubleshooting, testing, and refinements based on data or scientific principles. Clear evidence of troubleshooting, testing and refinements. Some evidence of troubleshooting, testing and refinements. Little evidence of troubleshooting, testing or refinement. Content of Project Record Keeping Presentation Content Explanations by all group members indicate a clear and accurate understanding of all principles underlying the construction and modifications. Journal provides a complete record of planning, construction, testing, modifications, money balances, and reasons for modifications, and some reflection about the strategies used and the results. Covers topic indepth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent. Explanations by all group members indicate a relatively accurate understanding of most principles underlying the construction and modifications. Journal provides a complete record of planning, construction, testing, modifications, money balances, and reasons for modifications. Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. Explanations by most group members indicate relatively accurate understanding of some principles underlying the construction and modifications. Journal provides quite a bit of detail about planning, construction, testing, modifications, money balances, and reasons for modifications. Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors. Explanations by several members of the group do not illustrate much understanding of the principles underlying the construction and modifications. Journal provides very little detail about several aspects of the planning, construction, and testing process. Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors. Oral Presentation Interesting, wellrehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention. Relatively interesting, rehearsed with a fairly smooth delivery that usually holds audience attention. Delivery not smooth, but able to hold audience attention most of the time. Delivery not smooth and audience attention lost. 16