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THE THRILL SEEKER’S GUIDE TO EDUCATION

If you’ve been searching for the fastest, the biggest, and the most enlightening educational experience around, your quest is over!

Kentucky Kingdom provides a unique outdoor environment for multidisciplinary educational programs.

“Educational?” you ask. How can a theme park replace the classroom? As you loop through the air on or gallop around on the Bella Musica , you should start to see the patterns.

Whether in park operations, the color schemes used, the selection of rides, the location of walkways, and in so many other areas, specific patterns have been developed and used.

You and your students will be experiencing those patterns but now, fasten your seatbelt and get ready for an exhilarating “ride” through Kentucky Kingdom.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

To the Teacher: Using the Workbook 4 Outdoor Classroom Student Instructions 5 Speaking Physics 6 Next Generation Science Standards 7-8 Ride Specifications 9 Formulas 10 Fun Stuff 11-13

Middle School Projects

Loop the Loop 15 Spinning Wheels 16 Spinning Wheels Worksheet 17 Pacing the Path 18 Bumper Cars and Thrill Rides 19 Bella Musica Carousel #1 20 Mile High Falls 21 Demons 22 Data Table 23 A New Angle 24 Data Table 25 Dot-To-Dot 26 Round the Circles 27 Data Table 28 What’s Your Opinion 29 Venn Diagrams 30 Up, Up, Up, Then DOWN! 31 5-D Cinema #1 32 Energized! The Energy Challenge 33 Energized! Worksheet 34

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TO THE TEACHER USING THIS WORKBOOK

We are happy to provide you with a guide to interesting experiments and projects to enhance your “Education in Motion” trip to Kentucky Kingdom. Use as many as you deem suitable for your students and of course, feel free to alter them to fit your students’ needs. E. You may want to give your students the option A. The intent of this workbook is to show students to choose a ride that’s not covered in the that learning about science & math at a theme workbook and to show how that ride could be park adds an extra dimension - going on rides used to illustrate physics concepts. becomes more interesting and exciting! F. When checking your students’ answers, B. You may want to do a sample page from the remember that all entries are based on actual workbook in class, using made-up data, a day student measurements and observations. or so before your field trip. Students will have Human reaction times vary and ride speeds a chance to get familiar with the workbook and depend to some extent on the ambient get a sense of how to use the pages most temperature and time of day. efficiently. G. Many teachers have found it useful to request C. Choose a series of concepts and a minimum that their students turn in the workbook at the number (3 or 4) of rides you would like end of the day. This ensures that enough students to investigate. Since the time spent calculations are done at the park for the standing in line is directly proportional to the students to connect those calculated results popularity of a ride, suggest to your students with the rides they have just experienced. that they plan to use less dramatic rides for a good portion of their required work.

D. Assign students to lab groups of six to ten and request that each group be able to account for its members at all times. In a larger group like this, no one will feel pressured to ride, anyone wanting to ride will likely have a partner to ride with, and non-riders will be able to ask the others how they liked the ride. You’ll also need less equipment.

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TO THE STUDENTS USING THIS WORKBOOK

GETTING READY! 7. Your teacher will give you your admission Before your visit to Kentucky Kingdom, you may ticket. We recommend that everyone in need to collect materials and equipment and bring your group gather at a specific place them with you to the park. Some of the activities (suggest the fountain at the entrance) require that lab or vocabulary work be done at before leaving the park. Great opportunity to school before you come to the park. Completing take a class photo! these tasks before your trip will allow you to make 8. Check with your teacher about lunch better use of your time at Kentucky Kingdom and arrangements. should add to your enjoyment of the day. 9. Make sure you understand the arrangements for returning home before you REMEMBER: get off your bus to enter the park. Make sure 1. You are going to Kentucky Kingdom to you can recognize your bus! demonstrate your understanding of math, physics, and science by gathering data and applying basic concepts to different rides and situations. EQUIPMENT YOU MAY NEED TO 2. You will need to record the data you collect. BRING TO THE PARK: You are expected to explain your answers.  Calculator. If you feel a question may have more than one meaning, state your interpretation of the  Stopwatch. There are many inexpensive question and then answer it. ones available and often students have a watch with a stopwatch mode. Accuracy to 3. You are expected to obey all park rules and one-tenth of a second is sufficient. any directions given by the park’s staff. Do not endanger your safety or that of others.  Horizontal/vertical accelerometers 4. Objects dropped from rides can hurt people. (optional). You are not allowed to bring loose objects,  Pens and pencils. such as sunglasses, cell phones, cameras,  Colored pencils, crayons, or markers. etc., on the rides.  Yardstick or measuring tape. 5. It is not required that you ride any of the  Paper (plain, graph, and/or drawing). rides. Yet we hope you will want to get some first-hand experience by riding at least some of them! 6. It’s a good idea to plan ahead! Review the list of any equipment or supplies you will need to bring with you to the park. Determine the data to be collected before going on the ride, write down the information you gather, and don’t lose it!

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SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF

PHYSICS To name and describe your observations, you Kinetic Energy - The energy of motion. The faster you go, the must be able to speak the language of physics. more kinetic energy you have. An object cannot speed up unless it gets energy from something that pushes or pulls it through some distance. Roller coasters get kinetic energy from Try to use each of these words at least twice while gravitational potential energy. riding or watching the rides. A moving object cannot slow down unless its kinetic energy is Acceleration - How fast speed and/or direction change. changed into some other kind of energy. In roller coasters, kinetic energy changes into gravitational potential energy and Action Force - One of the pair of forces described in Newton’s into heat. The total of the kinetic energy and gravitational third law. potential energy in a coaster tends to remain the same. Brakes Air Resistance - Force of air pushing against a moving object. change kinetic energy into heat. Apparent Weightlessness - The feeling of weightlessness Law of Conservation of Energy - The statement that energy that one has when falling toward the earth. (True cannot be created or destroyed; it may be transformed from weightlessness, however, requires that an object be far out in one form to another, but the total amount of energy never space, where gravitational forces are negligible.) changes. Centripetal Force - A push or pull that makes an object move Mass - A kind of moving inertia that tends to keep moving in a curved path. Its direction is toward the center of the object’s objects going in the same direction. Momentum is the mass of curved path. a body multiplied by its velocity. Momentum (mass x velocity) Elapsed Time - The time that has passed, or elapsed, since tends to remain the same. the beginning of the time measurement. Momentum - The product of the mass and the velocity of an Elastic Collision - A collision in which colliding objects object. Has direction as well as size. rebound without lasting deformation or the generation of heat. Parabola - The shape of the curved path of a ball as it is tossed Energy - The property of an object or system that enables it to from one person to another. hills have this do work; measured in joules. shape. Equilibrium - A state of balance between opposing forces or Potential Energy - Energy that is stored and held in readiness effects. by an object by virtue of its position. With its energy in this Force - Any sort of push or pull. stored state, it has the potential for doing work. Free Fall - Motion under the influence of the gravitational force Power - The rate at which work is done, which equals the only. amount of work done divided by the amount of time during Friction - A force from surrounding material that pushes or which the work is done. This is measured in watts. pulls on objects when you try to move them. Friction causes Reaction Force - The force that is equal in strength and roller coasters to slow down. Friction usually results from the opposite in direction to the action force and that acts on rubbing of one surface against another and produces heat as whatever is exerting the action force. a result. Air resistance is one kind of friction. Revolutions - Motion in which an object turns about an axis Gravitational Potential Energy - The amount of energy of an outside the object. object in a position above the surface of the earth. The higher Rotation - The spinning motion that occurs when an object an object is, the greater the gravitational potential energy it has moves about an axis that is located within the object. relative to the earth’s surface. Rotational Speed - The number of rotations or revolutions per G-Force - One inglr equals the gravitational pull at the surface unit of time, often measured per second or minute. of the earth. A g-force of 2 g’s means a force acting on an Rotational Velocity - Rotational speed, together with a object that is equal to two times the object’s weight. direction of rotation or revolution. (Acceleration of gravity - 9.8 m/s 2 (-10 m/s 2) or (-32 f/s 2). Speed - How fast something is moving (i.e., the distance Inertia - The tendency of matter to remain at rest or move at a moved per unit of time). constant speed in a straight line. Velocity - The speed of an object in a particular direction. Jerk - Rate of change of acceleration, named because you Weight - The force on a body of matter due to the gravitational notice this as a feeling of being jerked in the direction of the attraction of another body. (That other body is often the earth.) change.

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NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS) ABBREVIATIONS: 1) MS = Middle School 2) PS = Physical Science MS-PS 2 MOTION AND STABILITY: FORCES AND INTERACTIONS Students who demonstrate understanding can: MS-PS 2-1: Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects. MS-PS 2-2: Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. MS-PS 2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. MS-PS 2-4: Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects. MS-PS 2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact. MS-PS 3 ENERGY Students who demonstrate understanding can: MS-PS 3-1: Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. MS-PS 3-2: Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system. MS-PS 3-3: Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer. MS-PS 3-4: Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample. MS-PS 3-5: Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

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RIDE STANDARD 1. Roller Skater MS-PS 2-2, MS-PS 3-2, MS-PS 3-5

2. Thunder Run MS-PS 2-2, MS-PS 3-2, MS-PS 3-5

3. MS-PS 2-2, MS-PS 3-2, MS-PS 3-5

4. T3 MS-PS 2-2, MS-PS 3-2, MS-PS 3-5

5. The Giant Wheel MS-PS 2-2, MS-PS 2-3, MS-PS 2-5

6. Fearfall MS-PS 3-1, MS-PS 3-2

7. Bella Musica Carousel MS-PS 2-3

8. Skycatcher MS-PS 2-2

9. Cyclos MS-PS 2-2, MS-PS 3-2

10. Mile High Falls MS-PS 3-1, MS-PS 3-2, MS-PS 3-5

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RIDE SPECIFICATIONS

LIGHTNING RUN ROLLER SKATER Opening Date: May 17, 2014 Opening Date: Spring, 1994 Height: 100 feet Height: 28 feet Length: Length: 679 feet Top Speed: 55 mph Designer/Manufacturer: International Designer/Manufacturer: Ride Height Requirement: 56 inches to ride alone; those Ride Height Requirement: 48 inches between 36 and 56 inches must be accompanied by a Ride Capacity: 2 trains, 20 passengers per train rider at least 56 inches tall Ride Capacity: 8 cars, 2 people per car FEARFALL Opening Date: May 17, 2014 T3 Tower Height: 131 feet Opening Date: April, 2015 Lift Speed: 0.7 mph (upward) Height: 98 feet Drop Speed: 47 mph (downward) Length: 2,170 feet Designer/Manufacturer: A.R.M. Inc. Top Speed: 60+ mph Ride Height Requirement: 48 inches Designer/Manufacturer: Vekoma International Ride Capacity: 12 passengers Ride Height Requirement: 52 inches Ride Capacity: 2 trains, 14 passengers per train BELLA MUSICA CAROUSEL Opening Date: Spring, 1994 Height: 30 feet Opening Date: April, 2015 Diameter: 52 feet, 6 inches Height: 40 feet Designer/Manufacturer: WBW Group Ride Speed: 12 rpm Ride Height Requirement; 36 inches to ride alone; those Designer/Manufacturer: HUSS Maschinenfabrik under 36 inches must be accompanied by a rider at least Ride Height Requirement: 54 inches 36 inches tall Ride Capacity: 20 gondolas, 2 passengers per gondola Ride Capacity: 66 seats

CYCLOS MILE HIGH FALLS Opening Date: April, 2015 Opening Date: Spring, 1994 Height: 60 feet Height: 85 feet Rotation Speed: 12 rpm Trough Length: Approximately 880 feet Manufacturer: Top Speed: 48 mph Number of Seats: 16 Designer/Manufacturer: O.D. Hopkins Ride Capacity: 16 Ride Height Requirement: 42 inches to ride alone; those Ride Height Requirement: 42 inches between 36 and 42 inches must be accompanied by a rider at least 42 inches tall Ride Capacity: 2 boats, 20 passengers per boat SKYCATCHER Opening Date: April, 2015 Height: 130 feet THUNDER RUN Rotation Speed: 10 rpm Opening Date: August, 1990 Manufacturer: A.R.M. Inc. Height: 89 feet Number of Swings; 12, with 2 persons per swing Length: 2,850 feet Ride Capacity; 24 Top Speed: 53 mph Ride Height Requirement; 48” Designer/Manufacturer: Curtis D. Summers/Dinn Corp. Ride Height Requirement: 48 inches Ride Capacity; 1 train, 20 passengers per train

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FORMULAS v =∆d/∆t av Period of a satellite = 2 x π x square root (cube of the altitude divided by (gravitational constant x mass of body) a =∆v/∆t av Escape velocity = square root (2 x gravitational constant x mass of attracting body divided by distance to the center of the attracting body)

F=ma Rotational inertia of a hoop around a normal radius = mass x square of the radius

Fw=mg Rotational inertia of a hoop around a diameter = one half mass x square of the radius

2 ac=v /r Gravitational constant = 6.67 E-11 N x m^2/Kg^2

2 Fc=mv /r 1 m/s = 2.237 mi./hr.

T=1/f 1 kg = 2.2 lbs.

T=2π√l/g 1 m = 3.281 ft. p=mv 1 hp = 746w

Ft = MDV 1 km = 0.6214 miles

PE=mgh 1 lb. = 4.448 N

KE=1/2mv2 1 joule = 0.738 ft. lbs.

Pressure = Force/Area 9.8 m/s2 = 32.2 ft./s2

Horizontal velocity = angled velocity x cosine of angle % error = observed - actual x 100 actual

Vertical velocity = angled velocity x sine of angle

Force of gravity = gravitational constant x mass of Power=work/time object 1 x mass of object 2 ÷ square of distance between bodies Given Values: actual values provided by Kentucky Kingdom

Velocity of satellite in circular orbit = square root Measured Values: values found by your instruments (gravitational constant x mass of the attracting body ÷ altitude from center of the body) Calculated Values: values calculated by given & measured values

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FUN STUFF ABOUT RIDES!

The first roller coasters were ice slides serving as wintertime amusements in Russian villages and towns, particularly St. Petersburg, during the 15th and 16th centuries. In the late 19th century, LaMarcus Adna Thompson became known as “The Father of the Gravity Ride.” Although he did not invent the roller coaster, he built the Switchback Railway at in Brooklyn, New York, which opened on June 13, 1884. Mr. Thompson took a great interest in roller coasters and developed and patented many features of the modern coaster.

ROLLER SKATER The Roller Skater is a family roller coaster introduced at Kentucky Kingdom in 1994, the fourth coaster to be introduced at the park over a period of only five years. Manufactured by Vekoma International of the Netherlands, it’s a coaster that people of all ages can enjoy.

The Roller Skater has a 28-foot hill and its track is 679 feet long. Its unusual location over a small ravine was chosen to maximize its thrill factor. Themed by Kentucky Kingdom Construction Inc., the coaster’s bright primary colors were chosen both for their visual impact and their similarity to the colors so often found in a child’s toy box.

THUNDER RUN Thunder Run, with its six tons of nails, 30,000 bolts, and 250,000 board feet of track, was designed by Curtis Summers and George Fetterman and manufactured in 1990 by the Dinn Corporation, which also constructed ’s “Mean Streak,” “Timber Wolf” at Worlds of Fun, and Over Georgia’s “Georgia Cyclone.” Thunder Run consistently ranks among the top ten wooden coasters in nationwide polls.

LIGHTNING RUN Ranked among the top 25 steel coasters in the world, Lightning Run begins with a breathtaking 100-foot, 80-degree drop and ends with three gravity-defying camelback hills. This ten-story coaster thrills riders with negative airtime, an ultra-smooth ride, and nonstop twists and turns. Lightning Run is the first steel coaster of its kind. Manufactured by Chance Rides, it is the only Hyper GT-X coaster operating in the world.

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T3 - TERROR TO THE 3rd POWER Kentucky Kingdom’s T3 (“Terror to the Third Power”), a suspended looping coaster designed and manufactured by Vekoma International of the Netherlands, offers high-tech thrills. Riders are suspended from an inverted track and make several complete 360-degree loops.

Although the concept for a suspended coaster, with the train hanging beneath the track and swinging its riders from side to side while negotiating steep drops and sharp turns, has existed since the early 1980’s, the coaster itself was not built and introduced at a theme park until 1992. The original design called for upside-down inversions, but this idea never made it past the design phase. The coaster’s side-to-side swinging action made inversions infeasible because of the possibility that the train could fall back when inverted if it negotiated a full 360-degree loop too slowly.

In 1992, a Swiss coaster design team took the concept of the suspended coaster one step further. In the new twist they developed, the train hangs from the track and yet hugs it rigidly, enabling it to maneuver through full 360-degree loops. T3 is the third generation of this type of ride. Rather than the four-across seating that had been standard on this type of coaster, T3 seats only two across, providing more thrills for its riders, who sit in chairs similar to chair lifts, with their feet dangling.

T3 was the very first of the new generation of suspended looping coasters to debut in North America. The ride features a 98-foot , a ten-story drop, and five full inversions along its track length of 2,170 feet. Two trains with seven coaches are able to operate simultaneously, allowing well over 1,000 guests per hour to enjoy the ride.

THE GIANT WHEEL

The 15-story Giant Wheel boasts 10,290 light bulbs. Each of its 40 gondolas carries 6 riders, or 1,050 pounds, for a total capacity of 42,000 pounds.

The Giant Wheel is, of course, an example of a . When the promoters of Chicago’s 1893 World Exposition were searching for an engineering marvel to rival the Eiffel Tower, which was built for the 1889 Paris World’s , George Ferris, a civil engineer and bridge builder, proposed a 264- foot-tall pleasure wheel. Towering above the midway, the completed wheel had 36 gondolas, each 24 feet long, and carried up to 2,160 passengers on a ride consisting of two complete revolutions lasting 20 minutes apiece. George Ferris is the only amusement ride designer whose ride bears his name.

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FEARFALL

FearFall, manufactured by A.R.M. Inc., rises to a height of 128 feet and treats its riders to a 2.5-second, 60-foot free fall, reaching a top speed of close to 50 miles per hour.

FearFall is the second generation of the free fall ride and Kentucky Kingdom was the first park in the world to get this prototype. Passengers sit in open-air cars, their feet dangling, and are pulled to the top of the tower in a mere sixty seconds. Following a brief pause at the top, riders experience a breathtaking free-falling plunge back down to ground level.

BELLA MUSICA

Kentucky Kingdom’s Bella Musica Carousel, made in Holland and designed as a celebration of the world’s most classic , is a one-of–a-kind ride. Each wooden figure on the carousel is hand carved, a process that takes about 100 hours per figure, and the carousel horses have real horsehair tails. The figures duplicate the designs of famous artisans from various countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, and Holland. All of the glass pieces on the ride are hand-cut and the floor boards are made from the unusual Bangkirai wood. Bella Musica is 52-1/2 feet wide and 30 feet high and weighs more than 24 tons.

SKYCATCHER

This tall and graceful ride, manufactured by A.R.M. Inc., gives riders a terrific view of Kentucky Kingdom, Bay, and the Louisville skyline from swings 130 feet in the air. It can carry up to 24 riders at a time.

CYCLOS

Cyclos is the ultimate summertime twist! Riders sit on a huge rotating disc attached to a swinging pendulum. The pendulum begins with small swings back and forth, but gradually swings its riders higher and higher, ultimately taking them through a full 360-degree loop. Manufactured by Zamperla, this hair-raising ride towers 60 feet tall and carries 16 passengers at a time.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

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LOOP THE LOOP

OVERVIEW A loop is any roughly circular or oval pattern or path that closes or nearly closes on itself. Many rides at Kentucky Kingdom have loops that create thrills for the riders. Several principles of physics make looping rides possible. Inertia is a physical property that keeps moving things moving or keeps motionless things still unless an outside force acts on them. (When a bus driver slams on the brakes, the bus stops, but your body keeps moving until the seat in front of you stops you.) Centripetal force causes an object to turn in a circular path. (When you speed around a corner, inertia sends you in a straight line and centripetal force pushes the car into the curve, pressing you against the car door.) Roller coasters and other looping rides make use of these properties.

GOALS Observation Patterns Systems and Interactions

MATERIALS Paper Pencil

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Select one of the following rides: Thunder Run, T3, Lightning Run, or Roller Skater. 2. Observe the ride. 3. Predict where you will: (a) feel weightless and (b) feel heaviest. 4. Ride the ride. 5. Were your predictions correct? 6. What two forces, working together, keep you and the cars on the track? 7. What is the force that keeps you in the seat? 8. Where did you feel weightless? Where did you feel heaviest? 9. Where does the centripetal force occur? 10. Identify at least one place where you see a transfer of energy. Identify the type of energy.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Diagram the ride’s path. Label the places where energy transfers and centripetal force occur and where you feel weightless. 2. How does friction affect the ride? Investigate. 3. Research the history of roller coasters.

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SPINNING WHEELS

OVERVIEW Some of the rides at Kentucky Kingdom have one or more circular routes. The diameter of the circle, the number of circles, and the speed of the ride all contribute to unique ride experiences. Centripetal force and inertia work together to keep you in your seat. Inertia is a physical property that keeps objects in motion moving or keeps motionless things still unless an outside force acts on them. Centripetal force causes an object to turn in a circular path.

GOALS Observation Classification Patterns Mathematical Structure

MATERIALS Paper Pencil

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Select three rides that travel in a circle. 2. Compare and contrast the rides by filling in the data table. Fill in the names of the rides. 3. Fill in the names of three rides. 4. Count the number of circles the ride exhibits. 5. Identify any areas of the ride where centripetal force is used and how it’s used. 6. Using the numbers 1 through 3 and with the number 1 representing the ride that makes the fastest circle, rate the three rides from fastest to slowest. 7. Diagram the path you take as you ride the ride. 8. Does the location of your seat on the ride have an effect on your ride experience? Explain for each ride. 9. Which ride would you least like to ride with a 350-pound gorilla as your fellow passenger?

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Select another geometric shape and define it. Try to find examples of your definition among the rides in the park. 2. How could the rides be compared with everyday activities? Does a Ferris wheel relate to anything you know? Find other rides that correspond to something in your daily life. 3. Calculate the actual speed of each circular ride.

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SPINNING WHEELS WORKSHEET

Ride

Number of Circles

Use of Centripetal Force

Rank Ride Speed, 1 - 3

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PACING THE PATH

OVERVIEW One definition of a circle is a cycle, a period, or a complete or recurring series usually ending as it begins. The paths throughout Kentucky Kingdom all circle back to the park’s entrance. Using your own steps, you can estimate the length of the paths.

GOALS Computing Patterns Problem-Solving

MATERIALS Meter Stick Chalk to Mark on Pavement Paper and Pencil Map of Kentucky Kingdom

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY Find your pace. 1. Mark a starting point. 2. Measure ten meters. 3. Mark an ending point. 4. Using a natural stride, pace off the ten meters three times. Total the number of steps. 5. Find the average of the three totals (average = total number of steps divided by 3). 6. Use your “pace” to measure distances and complete the following formula: Ten meters = ______steps. 7. Start at the entrance to Kentucky Kingdom. 8. Turn right and proceed to the Himalaya ride. 9. Keep count of your normal pace. 10. Figure the distance in meters to the Himalaya ride. 11. This is an estimated figure. How can you check your answer? 12. Retrace your steps and figure again. 13. Keep a log for the day of how far you travel while visiting Kentucky Kingdom.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Using the map of Kentucky Kingdom, find a “circle” to measure. 2. Have another student measure the same circle. How do the two measurements compare? Take an average of the two measurements. Is this a better estimate? Explain. 3. How could you get an exact measurement of the circle? Try it if you have the material.

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BUMPER CARS AND THRILL RIDES

OVERVIEW There seem to be different patterns among the facial expressions of riders on the bumper cars and on the thrill rides.

GOALS Observation Production Creative Thinking

MATERIALS Notebook Paper 9” x 12” Manila Paper Pencil

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Observe the faces of riders as they ride one of the thrill rides and as they ride the bumper cars. List the different emotions or feelings that you see on their faces. What indicators did you use to come to that conclusion? 2. Make two sketches. Each sketch should be a close-up of a rider’s face on a thrill ride and then on the bumper cars. 3. Write a paragraph on the back of each drawing to describe how you think the person was feeling as he or she rode the ride.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Back in the classroom, focus on one of the drawings and make a mask that captures the emotions revealed.

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BELLA MUSICA CAROUSEL

OVERVIEW Bella Musica is known as an international carousel because it features a wide variety of animals, as European carousels do. This is in contrast to American carousels, which have only horses. Look carefully at the animals on the carousel. Each one is carefully hand carved, a task requiring approximately 100 hours per animal. The animals and all of the panels on the carousel are painted by hand.

GOALS Observation Visualization Production

MATERIALS 12” x 18” Drawing Paper Colored Pencils

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. List the animals you can identify. 2. Choose your favorite figure on the carousel and make a drawing. Carefully record all of the intricate details. Use colored pencils to color your picture. 3. Think of an animal that is not represented on the carousel and design it as a figure to be added to the carousel. Be sure to include all details. Use colored pencils to color the picture.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Research the history of carousels. Compare and contrast the European carousel with the American carousel. 2. Use the new figure you designed for the carousel as the basis for a three-dimensional sculpture from clay. After firing your sculpture, apply glaze or paint to color it. 3. Put all of the sculptures created by you and your classmates together to create a classroom carousel.

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MILE HIGH FALLS Draw a diagram of the first hill, and the first water landing:

The length of the boat is 21 feet long.

Measure the time it takes for the boat to come down the slide: ––––––––––––––––– s

What is the duration of the splash made by the boat? –––––––––––––––––s

OBSERVATIONS 1. Why is there water on the slide and not just in the landing pool at the bottom? 2. If there is a lot of mass up front in the boat, is the splash it makes larger or smaller? 3. Does the distribution of mass in the boat influence the duration of the splash? Describe your observations. 4. At what point on the ride do the riders lunge forward? Explain why this is so.

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SPEED DEMONS

OVERVIEW Climbing, climbing, climbing … it can seem to take forever to get to the top of a tall theme park ride. Then, just as you reach the top and begin to settle back, you suddenly start speeding downhill. Just how fast are you going anyway?

GOALS Observation Mathematical Reasoning and Procedures Data Expanding Existing Knowledge Measuring Writing Independent Learning

MATERIALS Stopwatch or Watch with a Second Hand Chart of Distances or Scaled Diagram

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY Choose and observe a speed-oriented ride from a distance. 1. Don’t blink, you might miss it. 2. Find the points on the ride where each timing will begin and where it will end. 3. As the ride reaches the start, begin timing it. 4. As soon as the ride has reached its stopping point, stop the watch. 5. Record your time on the data table. 6. Repeat the timing to ensure its accuracy (take an average of your times). 7. Record your data on the data table. 8. Before riding, observe the speed of the ride from the ground. Describe your thoughts. 9. After you’ve ridden, describe the effect the ride’s speed has on you. 10. Explain the effects “velocity” has on the degree of thrill or entertainment provided by the ride.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Find the number of feet in a mile and seconds in an hour. Now determine the speed of the ride in miles per hour. 2. Determine the velocity of the ride at other points in its travel. 3. Discuss the reasons people might give for liking “fast rides.” Poll 25 people before they ride. Poll another 25 people who have already ridden. Graph the results of your poll. What can you infer from these data about “fast” rides?

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DATA TABLE OVERVIEW

Velocity = distance divided by time

Name of ride (your choice!) ______

Steepest Climb: Distance (given)______

Time (seconds)

Velocity (ft./sec.) ______

Steepest Drop: Distance (given) ______

Time (seconds) ______

Velocity (ft./sec.) ______

Total Ride: Distance (given) ______

Time (seconds) ______

Average Velocity (ft./sec.) ______

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A NEW ANGLE OVERVIEW Tilted back, thrown forward, forced to the left, and shoved to the right. The changes can come about slowly or instantaneously - you never know which way you’re going to be moved next. The change in a ride’s angle causes a corresponding alteration in the passenger’s position. What is it about a ride’s actions and angles that make it amusing or thrilling?

GOALS Observation Classification Measuring Data Writing Resourcefulness and Creativity Problem-Solving Expanding Existing Knowledge

MATERIALS Sexton Height-O-Meter (Be sure students know how to read the angles.)

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Move to a place where you have an unobstructed view of the slope you are measuring. 2. Line up the baseline of the height-o-meter with the track or path being measured. 3. Let the string swing free until it comes to rest. 4. Measure the angle created by the string and the baseline. 5. Record your measurement on the data table. 6. Repeat the process with different parts of the ride. 7. Draw a diagram of the ride and label the point where each measurement was taken. 8. Before riding, observe the steepness of the ride’s ascents and descents and describe how you think it will feel to ride. 9. After you’ve ridden, describe what effect each of these ups and downs had on you.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Many rides have tracks that bank from left to right. You can measure the angle of the banking the same way you did for the slopes if you can get a clear side view. Repeat the steps above with those rides for which you can measure banking. 2. Count and record the number of different ascents, descents, left banks, and right banks. Does the number of tilts and banks and their direction determine how thrilling the ride is? Explain. 3. Talk about the reasons people might give for liking rides that have an angle. Poll 25 people before they ride. Poll another 25 people who have already ridden. Graph the results of your poll. What can you infer about the rides that have an angle? 4. What would happen if the angles were changed? Could you make them sharper or gentler? Project what would happen in each situation and explain your reasoning.

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DATA TABLE

Ride L1 L2 L3 Ascents Descents Left Banks Right Banks

Thunder Run

T 3 2

Lightning Run

Mile High Falls

Roller Skater

Use “+” to indicate ascent.

Use “-“ to indicate descent.

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DOT-TO-DOT

OVERVIEW In math, it all boils down to dots. Dots are put together to make lines. Lines are put together to form geometric shapes. Geometric shapes are found everywhere at Kentucky Kingdom. Look around you. What do you see?

GOALS Observation Visualization Classification Movement Patterns Space and Dimensionality Data Creative Thinking Problem-Solving Expanding Existing Knowledge

MATERIALS None

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Choose a ride and stand in the adjacent midway or the ride’s queue line to observe it. 2. Notice the different geometric shapes you see. 3. Move to another spot. 4. Look at the ride again. 5. Notice the different geometric shapes you see. 6. Move to a different ride and repeat the previous steps. 7. Describe the shapes you saw. Which geometric shapes appeared most often? 8. Describe the effect that changing your position has on your perception of the geometric shapes. 9. What effect did the ride’s movement have on your perception of the geometric shapes? 10. Why might a ride manufacturer use particular shapes in the design and construction of a ride?

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Sometimes the path a ride has a lot to do with the thrills and fun it provides. Examples of such rides are the and Bumper Cars. Draw a diagram showing the path a rider takes while on each of those two rides. Describe the unique characteristics of each ride. a. Ride each ride and explain how its unique characteristics affect your perception. b. Write or record a play-by-play description of your bumper car ride. 2. Brainstorm the reasons why people might like rides with an irregular path. Poll 25 people before they ride. Poll another 25 who have already ridden. Graph the results of your poll. What can you infer about such rides?

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ROUND IN CIRCLES OVERVIEW Sometimes you go and go, yet never seem to get anywhere. You’re just running in circles. So how far did you really go to get nowhere? Let’s test this on some of the rides at Kentucky Kingdom that go in circles.

GOALS Observation Computing Creative Thinking Mathematical Reasoning Number Problem-Solving Data Resourcefulness and Creativity

MATERIALS Watch with Second Hand or Stopwatch (for extensions only)

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Begin observing the ride as soon as it starts and count the number of times you go around before it stops. 2. Record this number on the data table. 3. Repeat your count several times to ensure accuracy. Take an average of your counts. 4. Which ride took you the greatest distance? 5. Why can’t you use this method to figure the distance that the Flying Dutchman and Breakdance travel? 6. Explain what it means when a person says, “You get your money’s worth out of these rides.”

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. By timing a ride, you can also determine its speed. How long did the average ride last? Which ride was the fastest? Do you prefer a long ride or a fast ride? Explain. 2. The horses on the carousel go up and down as the ride turns. How many jumps do they make during one full revolution of the carousel? How far do they jump? If the ride continued non-stop for an hour, how far would they run and how many times would they jump? 3. Discuss the reasons people might give for liking “go-nowhere” rides. Poll 25 people before they ride. Poll another 25 people who have already ridden. Graph the results of your poll. What can you infer about this type of ride?

DATA TABLE Use 3.17 for pi.

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DATA TABLE

Note: Use 3.17 for pi.

Radius (Ft.) Circumference No. of Times Distance Ride Around (Given) [C = pi(d)] Traveled [D=T(C)]

Giant Wheel 69.5 feet

Enterprise 24 feet

Bella Musica 26 feet

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WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? OVERVIEW A Venn diagram uses overlapping circles to represent logical relationships between sets.

GOALS Observation Inference Classification

MATERIALS Paper Pencil Worksheet with Venn Diagrams

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. After riding one of the rides (or interviewing someone who has), decide in which circle of the Venn diagram it belongs. 2. Keep a list of the rides you are going to classify. It will be easier to assign a number to the ride. Then place the numbers corresponding to the various rides on the Venn diagram. 3. Follow these steps for five to ten of the rides at Kentucky Kingdom. 4. Study your results and summarize them in writing.

RIDES:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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VENN DIAGRAMS

Fast Slow

Scary Spinning

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UP, UP, UP - THEN DOWN!

OVERVIEW As you slowly ascend on FearFall, prepare yourself for a sudden drop!

GOALS Observation Measurement Data Collection Data Application Identification of Variables

MATERIALS Stopwatch Paper Pencil

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Select a spot near FearFall to observe a section of seats. Make sure you have a clear view. 2. Using a stopwatch, time the interval from the release of the car at the top to the braking (slowing down) near the bottom. 3. Repeat the timing at least three times. 4. Create a data table to display your observations. 5. Did you get the same results for each car? 6. What variables contribute to the difference in times? 7. If you observed another car, would your results be the same? 8. How could you get the same results each time?

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT Ride FearFall (or interview someone who has). Compare the sensation of a free-fall ride to another type of ride (like a roller coaster or a spinning ride). What creates the different sensations?

MIDDLE SCHOOL KENTUCKY KINGDOM / EDUCATION IN MOTION 32

58 KENTUCKY KINGDOM / EDUCATION IN MOTION 5-D CINEMA #1 OVERVIEW Several types of artists were involved in developing this film. They worked together to create a film that makes viewers feel they are physically involved in the action.

GOALS Critical thinking Visualization Production

MATERIALS 9” x 12” Manila Paper Notebook Paper Pencil

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Write a rough script for the action that took place in the movie. 2. Make a drawing that illustrates your overall idea of the movie.

EXTENSIONS / ENRICHMENT 1. Research the types of skills needed for the following careers:  Layout artist;  Background artist  Special effects artist;  Computer graphics artist;  Make-up artist; and

2. Divide students into groups, assigning each student to one of these careers. Each group must then choose a topic for a “Movie You Ride.” The members of each group work together to create a storyboard of at least three drawings showing the story’s progress and a written script describing the action in the film and how the viewer will feel involved in the film.

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ENERGIZED! THE ENERGY CHALLENGE

OVERVIEW The Law of Conservation of Energy states that the total amount of energy in a system remains constant, although energy transforms from one form to another (specifically potential to kinetic energy). Potential energy is stored energy, or energy of position, because the energy stored depends on the position of the object. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. A skier at the top of a slope has stored energy (potential energy). When the skier leaves the top, that potential energy is transferred to kinetic energy. Mechanical energy is the use of fuel- powered machines to complete a task. In the thrill rides at Kentucky Kingdom, all of these types of energy are combined.

GOALS Observation Systems and Interactions

MATERIALS Paper Pencil

DIRECTIONS / ACTIVITY 1. Compare the rides on the worksheet that use energy transfer to complete the ride. Record your data on the worksheet. 2. What effect does the transfer of energy have on the sensation of the ride? 3. When do you feel the greatest effects? 4. Using the diagram below, label the energy transfers (mechanical, kinetic & potential energy).

MIDDLE SCHOOL KENTUCKY KINGDOM / EDUCATION IN MOTION 34

EDUCATION IN MOTION ENERGIZED! WORKSHEET

Maximum Maximum Use of Ride Potential Energy Kinetic Energy Mechanical Energy

Cyclos

Lightning Run

Skycatcher

T 3

Thunder Run

Enterprise

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MIDDLE SCHOOL