My name is Ian Speece and I am a math teacher at Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science in Long Beach, California.
All of our tenth-grade students engage in an integrated project that combines Algebra 2, Physics, and Engineering to create a functional roller coaster track for a marble which includes a return system.
The Desmos graphing calculator is vital to the success of the project. Students create their roller coaster design using the graphing calculator and test whether or not it will work with physics calculations.
This year, I was able to create a custom classroom activity that allowed students to upload their functions and test whether or not the marble on Desmos would actually make it through their track design. However, it seems that either the gravitational constant or the amount of friction does not match what actually occurs when they create the real-life model.
Is there any way to adjust these numbers? Is this something that Desmos could offer in the future?
Thank you for any help you can provide.