On Thursday, May 21, the students in Conceptual Physics went to Lake Compounce for a field trip. Mr. Santella, one of the Physics teachers, decided to plan this trip as a fun experience for the students after they had spent time in class working on learning and building roller coasters.
Prior to their trip, their physics classes consisted of exploring concepts such as kinetic energy and how those forces change throughout the motion of a roller coaster.
Mr. Santella expressed that the goal of this trip was to connect their classwork and learning to real-life experiences.
He said, “It's a great way to give kids a real-world example of application of forces, but more realistically, building model roller coasters and going to a theme park with your class is just fun.”
The 9th graders seemed to share the same excitement as the teachers even before going.
“I’m so excited for our trip to Lake Compounce because I will get to use my new physics learning to understand why the rides feel and work the way they do,” Grace ’29 said.
At the park, the students had the opportunity to experience all of these concepts firsthand by going on all kinds of roller coasters. Although the physics behind many of these rides can be very complex, the general idea is that riders are constantly being pulled toward the Earth, and any changes in motion like drops or turns alter how those forces are felt.
While the trip was for learning purposes, it also served as a reward for the students’ hard work in the classroom beforehand.
Ms. Pica, one of the faculty members who went on the trip, observed that, “most of them were having a good time, but most of their learning happened in the classroom before the trip, and the trip was just used as a time for them to have fun with the things they had already learned.”
This field trip was a great way for the students to combine learning with enjoyment! Whether students were really thinking about physics on the rides, or just having fun, the experience provided them with a memorable way of learning.
Campbell '28
Journalism Student
