Roller Coaster Physics

The Roller Coaster Physics Toolkit provides teachers with standards-based resources for designing lesson plans and units that pertain to the physics of roller coasters. The Toolkit identifies and describes a wide collection of activities, simulations, readings, videos, and projects that describe and explain such concepts as Newton's laws and a force analysis for objects moving in circles and along curved path and the work-energy relationships. The Toolkit allows a teacher to select from among trusted resources that target specific learning objectives and national standards. The Toolkit would be ideally suited to any teacher who would like to create a unit on Roller Coaster Design or simply insert a Roller Coaster Design project as a culminating activity for units on Energy and Newton's Laws. The Toolkit is supported by Lesson 2 of the Work, Energy, and Power Chapter and Lessons 1 and 2 of the Circular and Satellite Motion Chapter at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.


Each toolkit can be viewed in three different ways.

1. Roller Coaster Physics - HTML Version of Complete Toolkit

   The HTML version of the complete toolkit contains all the resources with full descriptions and links to their location on the web. The complete toolkit also includes learning objectives and references the pertinent standards addressed by the resources.
    

2. Roller Coaster Physics  - PDF Version of Complete Toolkit

   The PDF version of the complete toolkit contains all the resources with full descriptions in a printer-friendly format. Learning objectives and relevant standards are also included in the PDF Version of the complete toolkit.
    

3. Roller Coaster Physics - Toolkit To Go

   The Toolkit To Go is a 2-page PDF document that provides an abbreviated version of the complete toolkit. It contains as much information as could fit on two pages. Toolkits to Go can be photo-copied back-to-back, hole-punched, and filed in a teacher's folder or three-ring binder for future reference.