TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters
Learners explore the physics utilized by engineers in designing today's roller coasters, including potential and kinetic energy, friction, and gravity. First, students learn that all true roller coasters are completely driven by the...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Kinetic and Potential Energy
Given diagrams, illustrations or relevant data, students will identify examples of kinetic and potential energy and their transformations.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Energy in a Roller Coaster Ride
This interactive roller coaster ride produced for Teacher's Domain illustrates the relationship between potential and kinetic energy. As the coaster cars go up and down the hills and around the loop of the track, a pie chart shows...
OpenSciEd
Open Sci Ed: 8.3 Forces at a Distance
This unit allows students to investigate the cause of a speaker's vibration in addition to the effect.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Plix: Compass Poles: Earth's Magnetic Field
[Free Registration/Login Required] A site containing an animation of a compass and a short quiz over the topic.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Potential Energy
The concept of potential energy is explained along with the two forms of potential energy: elastic and gravitational. Discusses what gravitational potential energy is, explains the direct relationship between it and mass and height, and...
Other
Puhinui School: The Atoms Family: The Mummy's Tomb: Raceways
Help the Mummy build a rollercoaster to entertain the Atoms Family monsters by investigating the concepts of kinetic and potential energy.
The Wonder of Science
The Wonder of Science: Ms Ps3 2: Potential Energy of the System
Work samples, phenomena, assessment templates, and videos that directly address standard MS-PS3-2: potential energy of the system.
Other
Fear of Physics: Roller Coaster
Use animation and other interactive strategies to help understand physics principles. Change the track and height to see if your ball can make it to the end.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago: Activities: Build a Roller Coaster
Build the roller coaster, then keep making adjustments to see how it affects the potential and kinetic energy of the marble along its tracks.