Our Roller Coaster
Summary
This past week, our group was tasked with the challenge of creating a roller coaster using a base, tubing, tape, dowels, and cardboard. In addition to this, we had to stay within a budget and purchase all of our materials. In order to create a roller coaster, you must understand Newtons 3 laws of physics as well as have a basic understanding of motion. Creating our track took lots of trial and error. The angle of the tube combined with the acceleration and velocity of the marble were very important factors in ensuring the success of our track. Often, little movements in the tubing would cause out whole track to fail. In order to complete this project, we had to have patience and the ability to think of new ways to support and hold up the roller coaster.
Backwards-Looking: What problems did you encounter while working on this piece?
While working on this project, we encountered many problems especially during the building phase of the track. Often, we would struggle to find the perfect position for the tubing. For example, in the second half part of our track, it involved a hill where the marble could accelerate to accumulate the speed needed to clear the next loop. Finding a happy medium between having a marble going so fast it falls out of the track and a marble going to slow it falls out of the loop took some time. Combined with angle positions, placing the tubing in the perfect position took lots of trial and error. Sometimes, even, the track would work perfectly one time and fail the next. Making it consistent was the hardest part of the project.
Inwards-Looking: What was especially satisfying to you about either the process or the finished product?
Due to how much of struggle it was to create our roller coaster track once we completed it, it was especially satisfying. It took way too much time for our group to finish construction since the marble was never consistent in the way that it traveled. However, despite this, I like how it turned out and think that the design of the track is pretty cool thanks to all of its loops, drops, and turns. It is fun to watch as well as was fun to build.
Outwards-Looking: What do your classmates particularly notice about your piece when they look at it?
One negative thing a classmate may notice when looking at our roller coaster is that it is kind of plain and messy as far as construction goes. The dowels are held up with rough cut pieces of cardboard and wads of tape, making it not very attractive. However, they may also notice that our roller coaster's design is really loopy and interesting. Making all of the loops was hard to do since the marble would constantly fall out of it so that is one part of the track I am proud of.
Forwards-Looking: What's the one thing that you have seen in your classmates' work or process that you would like to try in your next piece?
When looking around the classroom at other group's roller coasters, I noticed one group had really nice decorations. They covered the dowels and cardboard pieces in paint and tons of decorations made out of pipe cleaners. The roller coaster looked much more neat and nicer than ours did. When working on another construction type project, I will make sure to set more time aside so I can spend more time on the appearance and attractiveness of our product.
This past week, our group was tasked with the challenge of creating a roller coaster using a base, tubing, tape, dowels, and cardboard. In addition to this, we had to stay within a budget and purchase all of our materials. In order to create a roller coaster, you must understand Newtons 3 laws of physics as well as have a basic understanding of motion. Creating our track took lots of trial and error. The angle of the tube combined with the acceleration and velocity of the marble were very important factors in ensuring the success of our track. Often, little movements in the tubing would cause out whole track to fail. In order to complete this project, we had to have patience and the ability to think of new ways to support and hold up the roller coaster.
Backwards-Looking: What problems did you encounter while working on this piece?
While working on this project, we encountered many problems especially during the building phase of the track. Often, we would struggle to find the perfect position for the tubing. For example, in the second half part of our track, it involved a hill where the marble could accelerate to accumulate the speed needed to clear the next loop. Finding a happy medium between having a marble going so fast it falls out of the track and a marble going to slow it falls out of the loop took some time. Combined with angle positions, placing the tubing in the perfect position took lots of trial and error. Sometimes, even, the track would work perfectly one time and fail the next. Making it consistent was the hardest part of the project.
Inwards-Looking: What was especially satisfying to you about either the process or the finished product?
Due to how much of struggle it was to create our roller coaster track once we completed it, it was especially satisfying. It took way too much time for our group to finish construction since the marble was never consistent in the way that it traveled. However, despite this, I like how it turned out and think that the design of the track is pretty cool thanks to all of its loops, drops, and turns. It is fun to watch as well as was fun to build.
Outwards-Looking: What do your classmates particularly notice about your piece when they look at it?
One negative thing a classmate may notice when looking at our roller coaster is that it is kind of plain and messy as far as construction goes. The dowels are held up with rough cut pieces of cardboard and wads of tape, making it not very attractive. However, they may also notice that our roller coaster's design is really loopy and interesting. Making all of the loops was hard to do since the marble would constantly fall out of it so that is one part of the track I am proud of.
Forwards-Looking: What's the one thing that you have seen in your classmates' work or process that you would like to try in your next piece?
When looking around the classroom at other group's roller coasters, I noticed one group had really nice decorations. They covered the dowels and cardboard pieces in paint and tons of decorations made out of pipe cleaners. The roller coaster looked much more neat and nicer than ours did. When working on another construction type project, I will make sure to set more time aside so I can spend more time on the appearance and attractiveness of our product.
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