Roller Coaster Ride

Roller Coaster Ride

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to walk across the surface of the moon, gently bouncing off its surface every step of the way? Perhaps you are more familiar with the feeling you get when riding on a roller coaster, or perhaps in the passenger seat alongside a very aggressive driver on a rolling and rambling highway road. Though perhaps not quite as pleasant a feeling, the forces that impact you in either location are all thanks to basic laws of physics. You will learn about kinetic and potential energy by exploring these scenarios in more detail.

Explore the following resources prior to Seminar:

Potential and Kinetic Energy transformations during a roller coaster ride:

http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/mck05_int_rollercoaster/

Compare the equatorial surface gravity of different planets and moons in our solar system using the following tool from NASA:

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/compchart.cfm?Object1=Earth&Object2=Mars

In Seminar, be prepared to discuss:

1. What is the relationship between kinetic and potential energy during a roller coaster ride?
2. Where on a roller coaster ride do you experience the most gravitational potential energy? The least?
3. Would a roller coaster behave the same way no matter where it is located? Check out the following image. Where might a roller coaster experience the most or least gravitational potential energy?
4. Though gravitational variations on earth are not detectable in our day to day activities, they are far more apparent when compared to gravity experienced on the Moon or other planets. On which planet would we experience the least / most gravity? Which would make more for the most/least exciting roller coaster ride?
5. What other factors influence how efficiently potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy? Can you think of ways to slow down a roller coaster or allow it to maintain speed over a longer distance?
6. Gravitational potential energy defines the attraction experienced between two bodies. For example, when walking across the surface of planet Earth, your body is attracted to the Earth due the mass and density of the Earth. This same attraction can be translated into the weight you see when standing on a scale. How would your weight differ when standing on the surface of the moon? Using the source provided from NASA above, what planet would provide you with the most “weight loss”? What about weight gain?

Complete one of the following options below:

WORK : Write and submit a short paper. In a 400-word paper, discuss the questions posed in the Seminar description above.

Submitting Your Assignment

Save your copy of the assignment in a location and with a name that you will remember. Be sure to use the “Save As” option to include your first and last name in the title of the document. For example, your assignment might be called Shawn_Edwards_Seminar1.doc When you are ready to submit it, click on the Dropbox and complete the steps below:

Click the link that says Submit an Assignment.

In the “Submit to Basket” menu, select Unit 4: Seminar

In the “Comments” field, include at least the title of your paper.

Click the Add Attachments button.

Follow the steps listed to attach your Word document.

To view your graded work, come back to the Dropbox or go to the Gradebook after your instructor has evaluated it. Click the Dropbox to access it.

Make sure that you save a copy of your submitted assignment.