Ask A QuestionWhere on a rollercoaster does the car go the fastest?
Make A Hypothesis
I think a roller coaster car travels the fastest going down a big hill because it has time to build up speed.
Plan and Do A Test
I will find out the length of the biggest hill and smallest hill on a rollercoaster. (Excellent students may try two roller coasters, or more!) Then I will time how long it takes a car to travel from the top of the hill to the bottom. I will write down my information in a data table. I will need a stopwatch, pencil and paper. I will need to find a place to stand where I can see the top and bottom of the rollercoaster hill I am measuring. I might want a partner to help me take my measurements. Then I can calculate the different hill speeds and compare them.
Record and Analyze
Roller Coaster
Hill
Length of Hill
Time to Travel Downhill
Speed (length/time)
Draw Conclusions
I found out ____
Click here to download Word version of this worksheet
Click here to download pdf version of this worksheet
Updated 2/05/2012