The Tube CoasterBailey Hood & Chase Moore

Device DesignMaterials Used

• 3 sheets ½ x ½ meter pegboard• 1 sheet ½ x ½ meter plywood• 6 feet rubber tubing• twine• funnel• steel slingshot ball• washers

Stored Energy• Potential Gravitation Energy

– Ball has PGE because it starts from rest at .55 meter above ground.

• Calculating PGE– PGE = mgh– Mass = 3 g– Height = .55 m

• PGE = (.012)*(9.81)*(.55) = 0.02 J

• Conversion of PGE to Kinetic Energy – The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is what drives the roller

coaster, and all of the kinetic energy needed is present once the ball starts to descend the first hill.

• Energy after run– After the ball has completed its run, PGE will be zero and only a small amount

of kinetic energy will remain due to the energy lost during the run.

Design & Construction Issues

• Staying within budget– Many good ideas cost too much due to materials – Finding low-cost, high-efficiency materials proved to be

challenging

• Meeting time requirements– After assembling track, many adjustments had to be made to

meet the time requirement of 15 seconds

• Finding right car– Many tests runs used to find right size and weight ball for optimal

performance

ConclusionsSuccessCoaster ran successfully in practice trials

LearnedChoice of materials are importantSold pre-construction plan is a necessity

ProblemsShape of tubing was irregularDifficulty with track constructionLots of trial and error

Possible Improvements– Better choice of materialsMore time developing design