Amusement Park for College Students

Students acquire accelerometer and altimeter data on rides during a day-long capstone trip to Six Flags Over Texas. Beyond reinforcing key physics concepts, preparatory homework assignments and Excel-based analysis of Six Flags data teach experimental concepts such as calibration, treatment of noisy data, and assignment of uncertainty. Experiments include precision measurements and open-ended hunts for specified phenomena. Critical thinking is demanded. Students are provided tools, but they devise the method for completing assigned experiments. Class handouts and examples of student work will be shown.