Scott Luk/Sara Adnan/Songee Pak

Rollercoaster Journal
1/13/17
Initial Sketch

Final Sketch

Reasons for our design

We decided to decorate our rollercoaster with a 70s theme as we all enjoy vibrant colors
and quirky designs, which were staples of the decade.

Materials:
Cardstock
Marble
Wood
Tape
Hot Glue Gun
Scissors
1. Base
1. To create our 60cm x 60cm base, we bought four 30cm x 30cm wooden squares
and hot glued them together.
b. First Constructions
1. Initially, to create support for our rollercoaster, we created stands using the
cardstock. The strongest shape is a triangle; thus, we used triangular prisms to
create the stands. We created nine stands total, varying sizes depending on the
tracks, using hot glue to stick the cardstock onto the wooden base.
b. Buildings of required components
1. Loop
1. To start the loop we stacked two triangular prisms on top of each other that
reached 60 cm in height. From there we created ramps by folding a strip of
paper into three sections. The first ramp we created was steep and led into
the loop.
2. To create the actual loop we created a track but cut slits in the sides so the
track would bend easier. Our loop was 15 cm in diameter, and at the end of
the loop the track was 82 cm.
ii.
Wide bend
1. Since the loop had generated a lot of momentum, we connected the loop to
the wide bend as the marble would move faster through it. To create the
wide bend, we cut slits into the sides just like the loop so it would be able
to curve.
ii.
Funnel
1. To get to the funnel from the wide bend, we created a long, straight ramp
slightly tilted downwards. Creating the actual funnel was tricky, but we
were able to create it by take a square piece of paper, and bisecting each of
the corners. Next, we folded the flaps we created upwards then taped them
together so that the piece of paper becomes a funnel shape. Finally we
created a hole in the middle of the funnel so that the marble would be able
to pass through.
ii.
Camelback
1. After the marble traveled to the funnel, we created a thin cylinder to
connect the hole in the funnel back to the rollercoaster ramp. We didnt
create a normal ramp because we didnt want the marble to roll out. Using
the same method of cutting slits on the sides of the ramp, we were able to
mold the ramp to have two humps

ii.

To end the rollercoaster we glued a piece of paper to the end of the ramp
following the camelback.

Difficulties
o Our major problem when constructing the rollercoaster was creating the loop and
making sure the marble wouldnt fly out. We realized that to make the loop
successful, we need to create an extra stand to support the loop, and cut slits on
the sides of the ramp.