Sir Isaac Enjoys Amusement Park Science Quiz

Answer: Law of Action and Reaction

The law of action and reaction states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This means that when one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts a force back on the first object that is equal in strength but opposite in direction. This applied to Sir Isaac on the bumper cars as follows:

The Action: The moment his bumper car collided with another, his car exerted a force on the other car to push it away. The Reaction: Simultaneously, the second car exerted a force of the same magnitude, but in the opposite direction, back to Sir Isaac's car.

The result was that Sir Isaac felt a fun jolt as his car recoiled and changed its direction of motion.

Answer: Rotational

Rotational motion is the movement of an object around a fixed point or axis. The large structure of the Ferris wheel rotates about a fixed, central axle which is the central axis of rotation for the entire system. To maintain its circular path around the central axis, it uses continuous centripetal force.

In this case, the ride structure pulled Sir Isaac, in his Ferris wheel car, inward toward the central axis to prevent him from moving in a straight line, which inertia would otherwise cause. This centripetal force made Sir Isaac feel lighter at the top of the wheel and heavier at the bottom.

Answer: Flowing water

Friction is a force that opposes motion between surfaces that are in contact and resists the sliding, rolling, or moving of one object or material over another. There are multiple types of friction such as static, kinetic, and rolling friction.

Sir Isaac did not feel the friction as he slid down the long tube into the pool because the flowing water managed the force of the friction. The constant stream of water flowing down the slide acted as a lubricant, creating a layer between Sir Isaac and the slide's surface. This dramatically reduced friction. Without water, the friction between Sir Isaac's skin or swimsuit and the slide would be high, slowing him down and making the ride uncomfortable for him.

Answer: Gravity

Sir Isaac Newton himself created the Law of Gravitation which stated that every object in the universe, no matter how small, exerts a gravitational pull on every other object. The strength of this gravitational force is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two objects. (This means that if the mass of one or both objects increases, the gravitational force between them also increases). Also, as objects get farther apart, the gravitational force between them decreases rapidly.

In the drop tower example, mechanical or hydraulic systems worked against gravity to lift Sir Isaac to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower, the car was released, and gravity becomes the primary force at play. Sir Isaac, on the ride, entered a state of freefall, accelerating toward the ground under the influence of gravity alone. At the bottom of the ride, braking systems used forces to counteract gravity and brought the car to a safe stop.

Answer: Kinetic

Kinetic energy is the energy of motion, while stored energy is potential energy that is held in an object or system until it is released.

In this example, Sir Isaac's ride began as a motorized chain pulled the train up the first and highest hill. During this ascent, a motor provided the energy to increase the coaster's gravitational potential energy due to its height. As the coaster crested the hill and began its descent, gravity took over. The stored potential energy was converted into kinetic energy (which was at a minimum), and the coaster's speed increased dramatically (as Sir Isaac raised his arms in glee).

Answer: Inertia

Newton's first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, states that "an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a net external force."

A simple, frictionless, pendulum follows a back and forth motion. In this example, the ride Sir Isaac was on was based on this oscillating motion. So, according to Newton himself, this ride would stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. Once the ride was swinging, its inertia kept it in motion. However, luckily for him, brakes were applied to introduce an outside force to slow and stop the ride.

Answer: Acceleration

G-force is a measurement of acceleration, expressed in multiples of Earth's standard gravity. 1G is the acceleration from gravity while standing on the ground. When a sudden change in velocity or direction happens, higher g-forces are experienced and the body will feel heavier.

In this example, when Sir Isaac rode the coaster he would feel heavy at the bottom of the loop because the coaster was moving at its fastest speed here. Also, the seats must push upward with a large normal force to provide the necessary centripetal force to keep the coaster moving into the loop. This caused a higher g-force measurement.

Answer: Buoyancy

Buoyancy is the upward force that a fluid, either a liquid or a gas, exerts on an object immersed in it. Archimedes formalized the principle which states that "the upward buoyant force on a submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid that the object displaces."

When Sir Isaac rode the log flume, he knew the ride was utilizing several aspects of fluid dynamics. According to Archimedes principle, the upward buoyant force exerted on the log was equal to the weight of the water it displaced. The logs were positively buoyant so they stayed afloat as they propelled Sir Isaac forward. The logs also utilized propulsion on the flat sections of the ride because they were pushed along by the continuous flow of water, much like a river.

Answer: Torque

Torque is a twisting or turning force that causes an object to rotate. It is the rotational correspondent of linear force and is calculated by multiplying the force applied by the distance from the pivot point (the lever arm).

Sir Isaac's carousel demonstrated torque in a couple of ways. First, a motor created torque, which was applied through gears to turn the carousel's main platform. Next, the rotating platform had sweeps (support beams) extending from the center pole with crankshafts at the end. As the platform rotated, the crankshafts were turned by the torque, and this motion was used to push and pull the horses up and down, mimicking a gallop. (Which made Sir Isaac feel like a child again.)

Answer: False

Flat, plane mirrors create a true reflection. However, curved mirrors use the fundamentals of physics within the field of optics. Reflection (bouncing back of light rays) and refraction (bending of the light rays) cause an image to be distorted when working with curved mirrors.

Convex mirrors curve outward and make objects appear smaller and farther away. So it was this that caused Sir Isaac to chuckle. A concave mirror curves inward and can make objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away depending on the curve and distance.