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Grade Level
All
minutes
15 min - 1 hr
subject
Engineering and Tech
Activity Type:
Engineering design challenge, Family activity, DIY, After School Activity
Roller Coaster Boomerang GIF By Lake Compounce. Credit: Giphy
Roller coasters are fun, fast, and are a great example of physics in action. Your challenge is to build a roller coaster out of materials you can find in your home.
Your Roller Coaster Should:
Include a “car” – any object that rolls or slides along the track without falling off the sides
Include a “track” that carries the car as it rolls without the car falling off the sides
Incorporate at least one hill, turn, loop, jump, or dip in the track
Be an original use of all materials (no out-of-the-box roller coaster toys please!)
Submit Your Roller Coaster Project Here!
Did you make a roller coaster that worked? Submit a photo, video, or story about your roller coaster by clicking the link above. You’ll have the option to be included in our Gallery of Awesome and receive a Certificate of Awesome in the mail!
Car Material Ideas:
Marbles
Ping pong, bouncy, golf, or even tennis balls
Any small toy that rolls or has wheels
Any smooth object that fits in or on your track (a small rock, a lip balm container)
A rolling roller coaster car of your own design
Track Material Ideas:
Empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls, cut in half long ways
Pool noodles cut in half long ways
Wire, wire closet hangers
Paper or cardboard, folded in half
Feeling Stuck? Try This First: Paper, A Small Ball, Tape
Cut a piece of printer or construction paper into three long strips 2-4 inches wide
Tape them together into one long strip of paper, then fold in half lengthwise to make a track
Tape one end of the track to the ground, and the other end up on a chair or coffee table, so that the fold forms a v-shaped track that your ball can roll down
Release a small ball at the top of your track and watch it roll down. You just made a roller coaster!
Now Challenge Yourself:
Make the highest roller coaster you can
Make a roller coaster with one or two loops
Make a roller coaster with a jump from one track to another
Make your roller coaster end with a slow, gentle stop
Science Buddies – Paper Roller Coaster Activity Guide + Video
Science Friday created this resource as contributing members of CoBuild19, a collective of educators, organizations, and researchers working to help youth and their caregivers spend quality time together building and creating. The work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and Infosys Foundation. Learn about the initiative and find more activities at CoBuildAtHome.com.
Cover image credit: Shutterstock
Meet the Writer
Ariel Zych
About Ariel Zych
@arieloquent
Ariel Zych was Science Friday’s director of audience. She is a former teacher and scientist who spends her free time making food, watching arthropods, and being outside.
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