Even knowing that it was only the forces of velocity and acceleration at work, senior Morgan Jones couldn’t help but scream as she zoomed down the Kingda Ka rollercoaster.
On April 27, students were able to combine their knowledge of physics and their love of roller coasters at Six Flags Amusement Park in New Jersey, which hosted a Physics, Math, and Science Day.
All physics classes were invited to go on this field trip. While this type of event was not the first time this event has been held at Six Flags, it is the first time JC has organized physics students to attend.
Physics teacher Jorge Piquer was the first to suggest the trip. He also organized the trip and chaperoned.
Piquer wanted students to enjoy the rides in addition to completing a worksheet supplied by the park.
“The park gives an assignment, but [physics teacher Christopher Yeung] and I [made] some changes,” Piquer said.
As AP, honors, and regular students attended, the worksheets had to be adjusted according to the level of the student.
Although it was not during normal school hours, the field trip was mandatory for Piquer’s honors classes.
According to Piquer, the field trip was intended to be a fun way to review. If students were unable to attend, they had to complete an alternate assignment.
While students generally agree that the field trip was fun, reactions about its effectiveness were mixed.
Although Sullivan did have fun at the park, “I didn’t do any work,” he said.
Jones didn’t do much work either. According to Jones, “it was a good experience, but not a lot of work was accomplished.”
According to Sullivan, the success of the field trip relies on its intent. If it was intended to be fun for the students, then it achieved that. However, “if it was to teach us physics, then it was not a very effective field trip.”
Jones, however, believes that she did learn from the trip.
“It was really interesting to see the parts of the rollercoaster that I wouldn’t normally pay attention to.”
Rebecca Driver is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.