disneyland baby!

Over spring break I went on the California College Tour where T-Flem, our fearless leader, took us through the darkness that is college. But physics was never far from our minds-the stuff was everywhere! Even at Disneyland, where school should be far from our minds, physics kept popping up. While in line for Astro Blasters, I saw a GIANT etch a sketch and batteries, and basically all of the rides (like California Screamin and Splash Mountain) just oozed physics. So the etch a sketch stood out mainly because we just covered magnetism and those fun metal shavings. Even though in class I think we played with magna doodles, the etch a sketch does contain aluminum powder which clings to the screen. And the batteries were a pleasant reminder of the numerous labs in which we conducted electricity and learned to complete circuits. Moving onto California Screamin, I was able to truly see the power of potential energy. When the ride first started, we were shot up the first hill super fast. But once we hit the top of that first hill, the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy was what drove us through the rest of the ride. And if I had too, I could draw the FBD as we flew through the loop in the middle of the ride. Hah. We experienced free fall as well during Tower of Terror. After ascending to the top of the "elevator shaft" for a moment we were suspended in the air then suddenly fell, under the force of gravity. And even though all of the riders were different masses, we all fell with the same acceleration. In Splash Mountain, physics truly prevails because no seat belts are used. Even though some of us slightly lifted off our seats, physics kept us safe. And come to think of it, all throughout the park, we could hear the doppler effect in action as riders screamed at ridiculous frequencies as the zoomed through the rides. Overall the trip was a fat plus and Disneyland definitely added to it. Even though it was a bit much when our thoughts kept getting interrupted by physics realizations (and at Disneyland too!), it was a good feeling knowing how things worked. I guess other people feel the same way cuz my uncle said that Disney has this education series where they teach kids the physics behind all the magic. But I gotta say; I think my physics encounters with Disneyland were pretty cool already.