Physics Day at Random Amusement Parks

[SharkTums]

I subbed high school science today and there’s a lot more roller coasters involved than I remember! This was just a sample of the pictures I saw in the text book. There are also photos of Kumba, Cyclone, drop towers, and kiddie coasters! Did any of you ever get to do a science or physics day at an amusement park? I got to do Busch Gardens Tampa in high school in my AP Physics class and it was super fun.

 

Someone pointed out in the Facebook group that the Physical Science textbook is written by a chemical engineer! Oh Florida!

 

I don't believe this still looks like this!

 

At least the textbook is from this century and not showing Russian Ice Slides and crude drawings like I remember in my old books.

 

I think SFGAd would be a pretty good park to do a Physics day at!

Edited December 14, 2019 by SharkTums

[fraroc]

I remember that there was a time back in '08 when I was in 7th grade where we had what was SUPPOSED to be a physics day at Hersheypark. The school rented out a huge greyhound bus and everything. We were supposed have fun, but on the bus do worksheets about physical science (it's just middle school, it was probably going to be just "what's the difference between potential energy and kinetic energy?")

 

I remember that it was cold, rainy, sloppy and just gross out, but somehow or another, all the coasters were open save for Fahrenheit. I remember that me and these two teachers managed to get rides on Sooperdooperlooper, Great Bear, Wild Mouse, and Lightning Racer. The idea to to do worksheets on the bus were pretty much scrapped as we were all either too wound up or too tired.

 

Definitley one of the best school field trips I've EVER been on

[dmh1079]

I had to go to Cedar Point for physics day in high school. Unfortunately, I was terrified of the big rides at that time! Our teacher didn't seem to care if we actually did the work so it was just a fun day. Everyone spent their time waiting in long lines for Raptor and Mantis because they were the new hotness. I rode Iron Dragon repeatedly because it had no line and it was about my speed at that time

[Canobie Coaster]

We went to a Physics Day at Canobie Lake Park back in middle school. The park had an educational science show called Newton's Revenge, which was a game show where Newton rose from the grave to teach us about his 3 Laws. The highlight was when one of our teachers was called up and made a fool of himself.

[bert425]

I never got to do that in school - which is strange, since Astroworld was so close to me while growing up. So it would have been an easy thing to discuss, as many of my fellow students had Season Passes and were there every day over Summer (as I was).

 

what a cool topic tho. . I wish I had gotten a similar subject when I was in school.

[thesman]

IF you've ever worked at a park you know physics days are the worst days of the year, I still have PTSD

[AmyUD06]

IF you've ever worked at a park you know physics days are the worst days of the year, I still have PTSD

 

Indeed.

[SharkTums]

^&^^ I feel like any days when there was a large student to chaperone ratio were pretty bad. I know that the jesus days we had at SFMM and any of the grad nights were rough.

[Rai Fox]

My old high school did one at SF Great Adventure for a senior trip...slightly odd because SFNE was much closer to us in RI (would have been the year it was renamed it to Six Flags, too, I believe). I remember it being pretty great; they bussed us down there and let us loose in the park with basically no supervision, we just did as we wanted all day. On the bus ride back, we had a page or two of basic physics questions to fill out. It was pretty transparently just a field trip that someone had managed to sell to the school administration as something educational.

[Canobie Coaster]

^&^^ I feel like any days when there was a large student to chaperone ratio were pretty bad. I know that the jesus days we had at SFMM and any of the grad nights were rough.

 

I'd think the Jesus Days would have a less rowdy and more well-behaved crowd if they practiced what they preached.

[AmyUD06]

From 6 years at Six Flags Great Adventure, they don't.

[SharkTums]

^Exactly!

[fraroc]

^&^^ I feel like any days when there was a large student to chaperone ratio were pretty bad. I know that the jesus days we had at SFMM and any of the grad nights were rough.

 

I'd think the Jesus Days would have a less rowdy and more well-behaved crowd if they practiced what they preached.

 

12 years of Catholic schooling, trust me...they REALLY don't. We were just as uncivilized as other kids.

[HWFan]

My main job being located outside of the theme park in HR, I always look forward to physics days at SFSL, because they mean I get to help out in the park working either JLBM or the park's Intamin drop tower. The park does some cool educational things too like helping the students strap special force-measuring instruments into rides like Mr. Freeze to collect data prior to opening it up for the students to ride themselves. Not sure how many other parks still do, but SFSL at least still has a handful of special Physics days during the week in the Spring.

[coasterer22]

Our AP Physics classes took a field trip to our local amusement park, Adventureland (the tiny one on Long Island, not the one in Iowa), which was about a 20 minute drive from our high school. While the park is mostly geared towards kids and families, going in the middle of the day during the week meant that we pretty much had the park to ourselves which made it very enjoyable. We were supposed to to take measurements on a few of the rides, but nearly everyone forged the data after the fact for the calculations. My favorite memory of the event is seeing my physics teacher at the time riding the Hurricane roller coaster (RIP by the way - the coaster, not my teacher he's doing okay) in the back row holding an anemometer and exhibiting no emotion whatsoever as he did so; it's almost as if he knew that he was the only one there that day who took any measurements. I just looked up the coaster's top speed on RCDB lol

[fraroc]

Our AP Physics classes took a field trip to our local amusement park, Adventureland (the tiny one on Long Island, not the one in Iowa), which was about a 20 minute drive from our high school. While the park is mostly geared towards kids and families, going in the middle of the day during the week meant that we pretty much had the park to ourselves which made it very enjoyable. We were supposed to to take measurements on a few of the rides, but nearly everyone forged the data after the fact for the calculations. My favorite memory of the event is seeing my physics teacher at the time riding the Hurricane roller coaster (RIP by the way - the coaster, not my teacher he's doing okay) in the back row holding an anemometer and exhibiting no emotion whatsoever as he did so; it's almost as if he knew that he was the only one there that day who took any measurements. I just looked up the coaster's top speed on RCDB lol

 

Hurricane was a great ride, I don't care what anyone says

[Jew]

I went to one at SFMM in middle school. Was basically just ride a few rides with an accelerometer, get a speech from someone at the park, and then enjoy the rest of the day!

[coasterer22]

Hurricane was a great ride, I don't care what anyone says

 

Couldn't agree more. Going to have to make my way over to Panama City Beach one day to see how it's holding up.

[ernierocker]

I did mine at Opryland during what ended up being its last year of operation. All I remember is that our AP Physics teacher got his bank account compromised the night before and we spent the majority of the morning at his bank trying to get his account sorted. It was so packed when we got there that he basically said just do what you want and not worry about the Physics Day workbook.

[SharkTums]

^Amazing! lol

[yawetag]

I'd think the Jesus Days would have a less rowdy and more well-behaved crowd if they practiced what they preached.

EVERYONE! I found the atheist!