Sudden Death By: Andrew Whitener Joshua White Kristen Karman

Construction Objective: to design and build a roller coaster to transport an object from point A to point B in 15 seconds. We constructed it with square plywood with a clear plastic tube running trough drilled holes in the wood. The only material purchased was the tube. Other materials were found around the house, though they can be purchased at a low cost.

Design We begin the ride by releasing the ball into the tube. The ball then moves along the course through its supporting framework. The ball continues this path as it accelerates out of the tubing and falls into the metal bowl.

Energy Potential gravitational energy in the ball is converted into kinetic energy as the ball travels through the tube. An almost perfectly inelastic collision occurs at the end of the ride due to the ball falling into the metal bowl.

Concerns and Conclusion One main issue was figuring out where to drill the holes to produce the desired slope of tube, which changed the velocity of the ball. Angle of attachment of the second supporting board became an issue after the first was attached. Total Time Spent: 8 hours to build (including planning, building, and numerous trials).