Rollercoaster science project?
Answer:
well...i dont see what would be wrong with just starting it off and then letting it go...but.oh, and a hydraulic system is one that creates pressure difference by using ANY liquid, not just water.
But, neways.what about a sort of "water rocket" stuck to the back of the cart? That would be cool.And it would be very easy to add it into a hydraulic system.
OR, you could get an oil hydraulic cylinder (like the ones on a car that hold up the hatchback or hood) and use it to push the cart at the beginning. It would create a much greater force at the beginning. Just have it fully compressed and have a lever holding it in place, then remove the lever and watch it go.
Good Luck!
I'm not sure why you would want hydraulics involved except at the beginning or at the end (a hydraulic bumper to stop the vehicle). Note the name of the device: roller coaster. The thing coasts on rollers after it is started. Commercial roller coasters use no power for the train once it has started.
That allows me to get on my soap box for a moment. Why doesn't anyone build a rollercoaster with linear induction motors at certain points? That way, the first drop wouldn't have to be the highest. You could be assured that the train had a specific velocity when going into a loop or loop/roll. You could even make the train fall faster than gravity allows.
It sounds like your teacher wants you to use a hydraulic system to take the car/train to the top of the first hill. The first hill needs to be the tallest. Once the car starts rolling down, then it can traverse new hills, having drops and rises repeatedly. Each hill needs to be a bit shorter than the previous one because the train will lose some speed as it goes along, but if sized correctly, your train can make the full length of the track after the single, initial lift by the hydraulic system.
I suggest that you use a train of several cars, rather than a single car. It will be easier to push the train over the top of the first hill by pushing the back car. Since the hydraulic system will likely provide a straight-line push that can't curve over the top of the hill, having enough cars in front of the rear car will allow the front to have already gone over the top and be partially down on the other side. In this way, when you release the car from your hydraulic lift, the weight of the first car already over the hill can pull the rest of the train over the top to start the coaster in free-rolling motion.
Have fun.
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