Rollercoasters and Motion
Experiment with forces, motion and energy by building marble rollercoasters!
Get hands-on with forces and motion in this STEM workshop. Students put theory into practice by building model rollercoasters which can be used to unpack ideas around forces, inertia, energy transformations and Newton’s laws of motion.
Students will experience
- Building rollercoasters with balls and tracks, working in groups and using limited resources.
- Assessing a rollercoaster to determine the points of maximum gravitational potential energy and maximum kinetic energy.
- Measuring data from their rollercoaster and using it to calculate things such as the average speed.
- Fun opportunities to share and celebrate their designs with their peers.
Students will learn
- How rollercoasters work and what makes them move.
- About the conservation of energy, and how rollercoasters transform gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy.
- How forces like gravity and contact forces change an object’s motion and control the movements of a rollercoaster.
- How to measure and calculate data about their rollercoaster.
- Teamwork and collaboration skills.
Other key information
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This workshop can be adapted to suit a broad range of ages and levels.
Availability
Terms 1–4, Monday to Friday
Duration: 45 minutes
Student information
Years 9 to 10
Minimum 15 students
Maximum 28 students
Bookings
Workshop
Presented by a museum educator
Victorian Curriculum Links
Science: Levels 9 and 10
Physical sciences
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the Law of Conservation of Energy can be analysed in systems, including Earth systems, by assessing the efficiency of energy inputs, outputs, transfers and transformations (VC2S10U15)
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Newton’s laws of motion can be used to quantitatively analyse the relationship between force, mass and acceleration of objects (VC2S10U17)
Accessibility
Please view our accessibility page for general information. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.
Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund
The Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund aims to enhance access to our museums (Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and Immigration Museum), programs and events by offering free or subsidised education programs for eligible schools. Find out more about the fund.
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