Oaks Park .:. Oaks Park Document Folders  .:.  Media and Data Folders  .:.  Go up
About the lab .:. Links .:. Data Analysis Tips .:. Accelerometers .:. Video Analysis Website

The Rides:
Adrenaline Peak | Balloons | Big Pink Slide | Bumper Cars | Carrousel | Disk 'O | Drop Tower | Eruption | Ferris Wheel | Frog Hopper | Go Karts | Looping Thunder
Rock and Roll | Rockin'Tug | Rock O Plane | Round Up | Scrambler | Screaming Eagle | Spider | Train | Tilt a Whirl | Zero G | Zoom

Adrenaline Peak .:. Media and Data .:. Top

This distance is 22.8 m

This distance is 2.76 m

Balloons .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Big Pink Slide .:. Media and Data .:. Top

7.2 +/- .2 m Change in height of a rider on the slide (direct 11)

This distance is 2.37 m on the videos (direct 06)

This distance from is 1.4 m (direct '19)

This distance between the vertical lamp posts on the side is 1.75 m (direct '19)

Bumper Cars .:. Media and Data .:. Top

The distance (outside edge to outside edge) is 2.79 m (direct 07)

Carrousel .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Diameter 17.7 m (OP data sheet)

Uh - we didn't measure anything?

Disk 'O .:. Media and Data .:. Top

The distance between the fence posts is most likely 2.92 m

Disc diameter is 6.8 m (direct 10)

Drop Tower .:. Media and Data .:. Top

This distance is 3.5+/- 0.2 m - direct '17

Eruption (Retired) .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Radius 4.27 m (14' - OP data sheet)

Across a bank of 3 standing places is 1.85 m. (direct 07)

Ferris Wheel .:. Media and Data .:. Top

From the center to one of the pivots at the edge - 7.25 m +/- 0.33 m- 2017 estimate measuring shadow
Width of a bench - 1.18 m (direct 10)

Frog Hopper .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Height from ground to top of frog 7.29 m (OP data sheet)

The stick I hold (later in the clip) is 2.0 m long.

OR

This distance is 2.84 m from one side of the whole thing to the other, just above the frog eyes. (direct 08)

OR

This is about 1.6 m

Go Karts .:. Media and Data .:. Top

This distance is 2.92 m (direct 07)

Looping Thunder (Retired) .:. Media and Data .:. Top

One of the cars is 1.68 m long across the pink part. (direct 07)
Height at top of chain: 11 m (OP data sheet)
Height at top of loop: 9.14 m (OP data sheet)

 This diagram is in the media and data folder

Rock and Roll .:. Media and Data .:. Top

This distance is 4.84 m (direct 07)
5.64 m major radius (direct 10)

Rockin Tug .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Will is holding a 2.00 m long stick in his hand. 

Rock O Plane .:. Media and Data .:. Top

This distance is 5.64 m (OP data sheet)

Scrambler .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Across the yellow bar of a car is 1.24 m. (direct 07)

This distance is about 4.45 m (direct 09,10)

Screaming Eagle .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Max angle 120^o (OP data sheet)

Across one bank of 4 seats at the top is 2.02 m. (direct 07)
3.4 m minor radius, around 10.5 m (+/- 0.3 m) pendulum length. The period of the spinning wheel at the bottom is 4.0 s. (KMG brochure - 15 RPM)

This diagram is in the media and data folder.

Spider .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Radius to edge of car 7.0 m (OP data sheet)

The distance is 2.04 m (from post to post on the fence that surrounds the ride)

Tilt a Whirl .:. Media and Data .:. Top

The Train .:. Media and Data .:. Top

1 cart is 5.22 m long (direct 09)

Zero-Gravity .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Radius 4.3 m +/-0.1 m direct '17

This Diagram is in the Media and Data folder

Zoom .:. Media and Data .:. Top

Data Analysis Tips .:. Top

    Directions - Find the ride that you are trying to analyze by clicking on the links at the top of the page.  Each ride has a frame from the video with a length measured.  Make a note of this length.  Download the video to the computer you are on and save it in "My documents".  Run Logger Pro, and from the "Insert" menu choose "Movie" and then browse to where you saved the movie and insert it.  Click on the button on the lower right corner that opens the analysis toolbar in the movie window of Logger Pro.  Choose an origin with the "Set Origin" button (You might need to rotate the origin to make it level?) , and then by sliding the slider, find the frame that has the object whose size you know on it.  (It usually is right there at the beginning, but sometimes it takes a bit of finding).  Click the "Set Scale" button and drag the line as you see below in the frames, and type in the length as given below.  Get the video to the beginning of where you want to analyze, and you can now use the "Add Point" button to get the position of that object relative to the origin you have. 

    Note on Scales - in many videos, you can see the orange and white long stick - it is 2.00 m long.  You can use this to set the scale using LoggerPro.  You can also use the pictures in the media folders to make measurements of your own.  (Insert photo with analysis)  In all cases the sticks in the pictures and video that look as long as a person is tall are 2.0 m long.  In most instances below, there are other distances on the rides themselves that we have measured with a tape measure.

    The Data files (*.cmbl) can be read by LoggerPro - you will have to borrow an install disk from me - but it is legal to install it on your home machine.  (It works on both platforms - Mac and PC)  Some of these will sync with a video file - mostly they are accelerometer readings - and I sync them by visibly striking the accelerometer on the video.

Here are a couple of videos I made to explain some of the things you can do with LoggerPro:

Basic Analysis of the FrogHopper - using tangent lines to find accelerations.
13:22

More tips - how to get the period of a ride, how to change axes, and how to get multiple readings from a video
14:24

Here is a Google Website with more handy tips for doing video analysis:  Video Analysis Website

Accelerometers .:. Top

    Our Accelerometers have evolved over the years.  The current model can be put together in about 20 minutes by students and costs about $3.00 per accelerometer or less.  The basic idea is that you have a pipe fitting (2 -3" long 1/2" black iron or galvanized nipple - from Home Depot)  suspended by elastic bands inside a clear acrylic tube (From TAP Plastic - 1" outer diameter, 7/8" inner diameter).  If you tip the accelerometer on end, the "g" force of the earth will make the elastic bands sag a distance that corresponds to 1 "g" of acceleration, or 9.8 m/s/s.  If the elastic band is a linear spring, then 2 "g"s is twice that distance of stretch, and 3 "g"s is triple the distance etc.  We tend to go out to about 4 "g"s, because after that, you are probably not looking at the accelerometer any more.
    To use the accelerometers on the rides is simple, just point the tube in the direction of the "g" force, and measure the stretch distance in "g"s.  Multiply by 9.8 m/s/s per "g" to get meters per second of acceleration, and then you can compare the acceleration you measured to that which you calculated from your measurements of radius and period, for example.

Materials:

• One foot of clear acrylic tubing (From TAP Plastic - 1" outer diameter, 7/8" inner diameter)
• A 2 -3" long 1/2" black iron or galvanized nipple - in plumbing.  On the video I say 3/4", but it is a 1/2" Inner Diameter.  Take it to TAP to make sure it fits.  (Home Depot)
• Beading elastic cord. (JoAnne fabrics)  (avoid the stuff labeled "round elastic cord"  Beading elastic cord will more than double in length when stretched.  Someday I will find real springs...)
• Some paper clips
• Electrical tape
• Masking tape
• Gaffers or duct tape
• A half sheet of notebook paper
• A "Sharpie" marker

How to make:
12:07

About .:. Top

    Each year usually on the second Friday in May, the physics classes at Tualatin High School do an all day field trip to Oaks Amusement Park.  The lab assignment associated with the field trip is the largest lab of the year and constitutes the final exam for seniors.  We spend the week before Oaks Park getting ready for the lab.  We watch videos of the rides from previous years, construct accelerometers, and make data tables.
    At the park, we measure distances, times, radii, periods of rotation, heights, and make observations of "g" forces with our accelerometers.  To complete the lab, the students calculate velocities, momentums, energies, centripetal accelerations and forces, and coefficients of friction, and present their results to their classes.  The lab is the keystone of our entire laboratory program for first year IB and General physics.

Links .:. Top

• http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/outreach/appd/appd.html - NASA's page.  There is a very helpful guide on the "Guide and Workshops" page.  It is a 152 page .pdf - but very comprehensive.
• http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics/ - A very basic but graphic description of a few rides.
• http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/app/nau_links.htm - A page of links.  Seems pretty comprehensive.
• http://www.joyrides.com/links.htm - Links to links.  Great Scott!  There are links for everything - you can find out websites of the rides manufacturers if you had the model of the ride.  Not so much an educational site.
• http://www.physicsday.org/ - California's Great America has a physics day too.  Their rides are almost as cool as Oaks Park's rides.

Vintage Stuff that I couldn't get rid of on this page:

Oaks Park Ride Videos .:. Top

Here are photos from the 1999 Oaks Park field trip

• The Bus ride
• Cute kids arrive at the park
• The Carousel
• Father and son ride the carousel fiercely
• Looping Thunder ride operators
• On the Looping Thunder, looking over the park.
• On the Looping Thunder, before the loop.
• On the Looping Thunder, in the loop.
• On the Looping Thunder after the loop.
• Side view of the Looping Thunder
• The Scrambler.
• The Roundup
• The Spider
• The Sea Dragon
• Close-up of the Sea Dragon - gone now :-(
• The Rolloplane- gone now :-(
• The Erupter- gone now :-( - rock and roll is even better....
• The Tilt O Whirl
  

Videos by Jordan Reid and Sam Baker, May 04: (all are .wmv files)

1. Rock O Plane (2.15 Mb)
2. Big Pink Slide (.74 Mb)
3. Ferris Wheel (2.54 Mb)
4. Spider (1.52 Mb)
5. Screaming Eagle (1.82 Mb)
6. Frog Hopper (.679 Mb)
7. Scrambler (2.39 Mb)
8. Carrousel (.37 Mb)

Videos from 2005(all are .wmv files)

1. Bumper Cars (6.9 Mb)
2. Bus Ride (3.5 Mb)
3. Rock and Roll (14.6 Mb)
4. Rock and Roll backwards (6.4 Mb)
5. On the Scrambler (10.3 Mb)
6. Roller Coaster (8.8 Mb)
7. Round-Up (5.0 Mb)
8. Scrambler (3.5 Mb)
9. Screaming Eagle (4.0 Mb)
10. Spider (3.5 Mb)
11. Rock O Plane (5.0 Mb)
12. Tea Cups (8.4 Mb)

Videos from 2006(all are .wmv files)

1. Ride the Looping Thunder (44 Mb)
2. Duggan Rides the Frog Hopper (6.8 Mb)