Buckle Up And Get Ready to Roll!    

 

Introduction:

What is your favorite roller coaster ride at Six Flags, St. Louis?  What rates one roller coaster over another as the best ride and the biggest thrill?  Have you ever tried out the roller coasters at other theme parks?  People are curious as to what conditions make the fastest roller coasters and which gives the biggest thrill.  Come along for the ride of your life!

 

Task:

From Internet resources, you will study the roller coasters at 5 major amusement parks throughout the country.  You will determine what factors of height, length, speed and construction give the greatest thrill on a roller coaster. You will then compare and contrast the drop vs. speed and length vs. speed to determine which of the 5 coasters give the most thrilling ride based on the data.

 

Process:

1.     Print out the worksheets.

2.     Fill in the information by using the resources below.  Find the theme park, location and name of the roller coaster.  Write in all information including the drop, length, maximum speed and type of each roller coaster.

3.      Define mean, median and mode, using the link on the terms.

  1. Using the definitions above, find the mean, median and mode of the drop, length, and speed of each roller coaster.
  2. Compare and contrast the drop and speed of each coaster and the length and speed of each coaster
  3. Create a scatter plot graph comparing each coaster.  Determine if there is a correlation between the drop and speed and length and speed based upon the results of the graphs.
  4. Based upon the data you have compared, write a 2-paragraph response evaluating the roller coasters you believe would give the best thrill.  Create an introductory paragraph and defend your decision in two ways by using the information in the tables and graphs.

 

Resources:

The Boss

Six Flags

St. Louis, MO

Viper

Six Flags

Chicago, IL

Boomerang

Worlds of Fun

Kansas City, MO

Magnum XL-200

Cedar Point

Sandusky, OH

California Screamin’

California Adventure

Anaheim, California

www.rcdb.com

 

 

 

 

Evaluation:

You will be graded on the following scoring guide:

 

4

3

2

1

Table Content

All data is accurate in table

1 error in table data

2 errors in table data

3 errors in table data

Central Tendency Definitions

Definitions of mean, median and mode

1 error in definitions

2 errors in definitions

3 or more errors in definitions

Comparison Information

All data in comparisons is correct

1 error in data

2 errors in data

3 or more errors in data

Graphs

All graphs comparing data are correct

1 error in data

2 errors in data

3 or more errors in data

Written response

1st paragraph clearly introduces response and 2nd paragraph clearly supports decision in at least 2 ways

1st paragraph introduces response and 2nd paragraph supports decision made in at least 2 ways

Attempt made to introduce response and attempts to support decision in at least 1 way

Attempts to support decision 1 way

 

 

Conclusion:

We hope you have made a decision as to the roller coaster that will give you the ultimate thrill.  Vote as a class which roller coaster was the best and how that decision was reached.  To create your own roller coaster, go to: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/coasters/interactive/interactive.html

 

Teacher’s Guide