Today we will explore what engineers do and use the process they use to design things that make the world a better place

What do Engineers Do? They make “stuff” better- Innovate Compare the telephone or car of your grandparents to today’s phone or car They Invent new products Cell Phones, personal computers, X box, the Mars lunar lander & battery powered tools were not around when Tom was your age

All of our “Stuff” is Designed & Engineered

* * * * The Engineering Design Process A flexible structure used by engineers to guide them through problem solving From the state of Massachusetts… there are others!!! Step 1 Identify the Need or Problem Step 2 Research the Need or Problem Step 3 Develop Possible Solution(s) Step 4 Select the Best Possible Solution(s) Step 5 Construct a Prototype Step 6 Test and Evaluate the Solution(s) Step 7 Communicate the Solution(s) Step 8 Redesign * * * *

Process Design (only on paper) Create Test

What Goes Up Must Come Down Roller Coaster Physics Sit back and relax for the ride of your life. You will be traveling forwards and backwards-Through a disorientating trip of cork screw turns and upside-down loops! Don’t hold your breath to long or scream to loud because roller coaster physics will be a thrill!!!!

Task Your task is to design, create, and test! With your group, talk about what your roller coaster will look like. Draw a sketch of your design. Task

Sir Isaac Newton www.1st-art-gallery.com487 × 600Search by image Enoch Seeman:Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton 1646-1727 1726

Roller Coaster Designer/Architect

Engineer/Safety Coordinator

Trial Log 1)Explain your trial. 2)Did the roller coaster complete its run 3)Was the result better than the last trial? 4) Why or why not?

Group Questions Answer these questions when your project is completely finished. 1)Describe when and how each of Newton’s Laws of Motion are acting on a person riding a roller coaster. 2) Can the coaster have too much speed at the beginning of the trial? Explain. 3) Why do roller coasters always start out by pulling you up a big hill? When does a coaster have a large amount of Kinetic Energy and when does it have a large amount of Potential Energy? What would happen if there was something on the track, which caused a lot of friction between the car, and the track? When are riders most affected by centripetal force? What would happen to a roller coaster if gravity was suddenly increased or decreased? What does it mean if you “pull 3 g’s” in a loop?

Resources Worlds of Fun Inventing the Scream Machine How Stuff Works Funderstanding Discovery Amusement Park Physics History of Roller Coasters Discovery: Build a Roller Coaster History Roller Coaster Database

Evaluation