1. Construct a roller coaster, with a minimum of one hill and one loop, using the material and track design chosen after analysis of the “One Hill Roller Coaster” data.  Total running length of the coaster track must be 4.0 meters.

2. Take one square of single-ply toilet tissue.  Stretch it until it is taut and fasten it securely to the end of your roller coaster.

3. Test the roller coaster for speed and safety.  The marble should reach the end of the track as quickly as possible, without breaking the toilet tissue.

a) Position your marble at the top of your roller coaster.
b) Allow it to roll down the hill without pushing it.
c) Begin timing on a stopwatch when the marble starts rolling.
d) Stop the watch when the marble reaches the tissue.
e) Record the elapsed time, to the nearest 0.1 second, on the appropriate Data Collection Page.
f) Indicate whether the tissue was broken.
g) Conduct several speed trials, to see if the times are approximately the same and if the tissue is always broken or unbroken.

4. If your results are unsatisfactory for any reason, such as, the tissue is broken, or the marble doesn’t travel around the loop, you may wish to experiment with the path of the roller coaster track. 

a)  Consider the number, height, and shape of the hills and loops. For further investigation using virtual roller coasters, click here. 
b) If the tissue is broken, how can the marble touch it with less force?
c) Explore the relationship between the height of a hill and the height of a loop following it.  Does the marble acquire enough speed from its movement down the hill to enable it to travel around the loop?  If not, how can the speed be increased? 

5. Rate the success of your roller coaster by using the scoring rubric.

6. Produce a scale drawing of your completed roller coaster, so that it can be duplicated in the future.  Include information about your construction material and track design.  Submit drawings on the listserv or mail them to the webmaster at:  Ms. A,  Lincoln Elementary School, 66 Bartlett Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.

7. Participate in the competition with your classmates and with the other Web participants to determine the fastest, but safest, roller coaster.

a) Conduct five trials with your roller coaster.
b) Submit the required data on the appropriate Data Collection Page.
c) The best roller coaster will have the shortest elapsed time, without breaking the tissue.

8. Good Luck!  Be sure to check this Web site for final results after April 10, 2000.

9. Create an advertisement persuading tourists to try out your roller coaster.