Roller Coaster out of Straws

NicholasDWolfwood · Post by **NicholasDWolfwood** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 12:19 am

I need help. My Science class is building a roller coaster out of straws and a marble. We already have a little of it done, and all the students are stuck with the job this weekend of figuring out how to get a loop with the straws. I'm stuck. I just spent the last two hours trying different things, and none of them were even close to working except chopping up the straws into little pieces and putting toothpicks/paper in-between them to hold the pieces together.

Like I said, some of the end is done, but I'm stuck on the loop with straws.

angelx03 · Post by **angelx03** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 12:23 am

Hmmm. You could use one of those flexible straws in order to create the loop.

Flint the Dwarf · Post by **Flint the Dwarf** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 12:26 am

What you might be able to do is make a cut about every quarter inch down (or even 1/8 inch) one side of the straws (make the cuts about half the thickness of the straw) and it should bend fine. But I don't know if that will interfere with anything else.

gundamzuki · Post by **gundamzuki** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:52 pm

I'd try heating the straws in some boiling water to make them soft. I make nice smooth, permanent curves in those little coffee straws all the time.