On Friday 11 March, the Year 12 VCE Physics class set off for an excursion to Luna Park. We arrived at Luna Park along with dozens of other schools with the same purpose: to have fun going on all the rides … and to observe physics in real life through the motion of the various rides. We were also there to collect data, allowing us to relate the motion of the rides to the theoretical equations we have been working on.
We began by going on the twin dragons ride which was a perfect example of pendulum motion, a topic we had studied prior to the day. Next up we braved the Enterprise. This terrifying ride was perfect for our topic of circular motion even though some of the class members took considerable convincing to get onto the ride.
Feeling queasy, having experienced circular motion firsthand, we spent some time working on some questions about the physics we had just felt, before eagerly setting off towards more rides. The bumper cars were a great demonstration of collision and conservation of momentum. We all enjoyed seeing how we could transmit force onto each other's cars.
Overall, it was an extremely fun day, and was very beneficial to our understanding of how the physics concepts we study affect real life circumstances. It was a fantastic opportunity provided by the school and Mr Murphy and it will help our class in understanding VCE Physics this year.
