The thrill of physics

FARMINGTON — Zach Widhalm, Sam Dahl and Kenny Seneff had to ride the Colossus roller coaster at Lagoon several times before they had recorded each G-force point on the ride.

The Colossus measurements, taken on Seneff's homemade accelerometer containing a spring and bolt in a plastic tube, range from minus 1 to about 3 G's — or from feeling weightless to just the opposite.

"So basically you weigh three times as much at 3 G's," Widhalm said.

The high schoolers had traveled from Idaho Falls to Farmington for Friday's Physics Day, where high school and junior high physics students from Utah and surrounding states explored elements of physics found throughout the amusement park.

"I guess roller coasters are fun. I guess I should say physics is fun," said event chairman J.R. Dennison, a professor of physics at Utah State University.

Last year's event drew almost 4,500 participants from 90 schools. This year, the number is up to about 5,300 students from some 120 schools in Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming.

Some students entered competitions to develop models of new, futuristic rides. Others measured centripetal force, velocity, torque and momentum either while on the sidelines or while on the rides themselves.

And the measurements were quite good, Dennison said.

"The amazing thing is they can do this while upside down on Colossus," Dennison said. "The kids are really good at that and also have a lot of fun."

Elsewhere in the park students participated in a game show-like physics bowl, where the winners received four-year scholarships to attend USU.

Hilary Walker, 15, of Wahlquist Junior High School in Ogden, was busy completing her student workbook, including questions about the angles of rides, average speeds and other elements of physics.

"We have to do the bumper cars, like tell when they're going to move and what happens when they bump," she said.

One bonus: When her school comes back to Lagoon next week, she'll know how the rides work.

The year-end event is a good motivation for some students to do well, as teachers use it as a reward for grades or class participation, Dennison said. In some classrooms, lessons throughout the school year are focused on the trip to Lagoon.

"It's a lot easier to get kids excited about that — how a roller coaster works, rather than how a ball slides down an incline," Dennison said.

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