PASCO ME-9812 Roller Coaster - Manual (Page 14)

Model No. ME-9812 Roller Coaster
13 ®
2. Cup of Water Over Loop
Place a cup of water in the mass tray of the car and let the car go
around the loop. Will the water stay in the cup as the car goes over the
loop? Put a catcher at the end of the track so the car will be caught
instead of going back through the loop.
3. Three-Car Coaster
When using three cars linked together as a roller coaster, begin on the
left on the step that is second from the top. (See Configuration 3.)
Besides asking where the coaster must start to make it over, the speeds
of first, middle, and last car can be measured at any point along the
track to show that the speeds of the cars are different as they pass that
point. Will the water stay in each of the three cups as the three cars go
over the loop?
4. Collision Between Two Cars at Bottom of Loop
Start a car that has a ballast mass in it at the top of the lowest step on
the left (second peg from the bottom in Configuration 4). Show that it
does not make it over the loop.
Then place another car (without a ballast mass) at rest at the bottom of
the loop. Start the car with the ballast from the top of the lowest step
and let it collide elastically with the car at the bottom of the loop. Will
the car at the bottom of the loop make it over the loop after the
collision?
Configuration 3: Three-car Coaster Loop
Configuration 4: Collision between Two Cars