Analyzing Amusement Park GraphsAnalyzing Amusement Park Graphs
California’s Great America 2012California’s Great America 2012
Clarence BakkenClarence Bakken
Teacher Steering CommitteeTeacher Steering Committee
Goals of this ActivityGoals of this Activity
• Help students understand graphs they obtain Help students understand graphs they obtain via electronic data collectionvia electronic data collection
• Help teachers assist students in Help teachers assist students in understanding their dataunderstanding their data
• Attain greater understanding of graphical Attain greater understanding of graphical informationinformation
The Ride: VortexThe Ride: Vortex
Complete Set of GraphsComplete Set of Graphs
Complete Set Complete Set SmoothedSmoothed
Altitude vs. Time
Ride ProfileRide Profile
Corkscrew
Lift
hill
Loop
Vertical Acceleration/ForcesA
ltit
ude
(m)
Ver
tica
l (m
/s/s
)
Vertical ForcesVertical Forces
Bottom of Hill(Start of loop)
Dip at end of initial section
Corkscrew
Alt
itud
e (m
)L
ater
al (
m/s
/s)
Lateral ForcesLateral Forces
Left turn at end of run-on
Corkscrew
Left turn thru corkscrew
Left turn top of lift hill
Right turnbefore corkscrew
Lateral Acceleration/Forces
Longitudinal Acceleration/Forces
Longitudinal ForcesLongitudinal Forces
Lift Hill
Held back -Pitching forward…
Pushed forward -“Falling” backward
The Ride: OrbitThe Ride: Orbit
Vertical & Longitudinal
Ver
tica
l (m
/s/s
)L
ongi
tudi
nal (
m/s
/s)
Vertical and LongitudinalVertical and LongitudinalMaximum Longitudinal Force - mid-level Vertical Force
Maximum Vertical Force –zero Longitudinal Force
Vertical Acceleration/Force
Vertical ForcesVertical Forces
44.9 sec / 11 periods = 4.1 sec/period
~2g’s
~1.8 g’s
Longitudinal Longitudinal AccelerationAcceleration
+ 1g
- 1g
Longitudinal Acceleration/Force
The Ride: CentrifugeThe Ride: Centrifuge
Complete Set of GraphsComplete Set of Graphs
Lateral Forces
Longitudinal Forces
Lateral Acceleration/Force
Lateral ForcesLateral Forces
30 periods = 33 sec
T = 1.1 sec
Midpoint = 10 m/s/s = 1 g
The Ride: Drop TowerThe Ride: Drop Tower
Ride Profile & Vertical Force
Alt
itud
e (m
)V
erti
cal (
m/s
/s)
Complete Set of GraphsComplete Set of Graphs
Parabolic
3 sec
Vertical ForceVertical Force
Coupling change
Exponential decay
3 sec
ConclusionConclusion
• Need to know direction of accelerometer(s)Need to know direction of accelerometer(s)
• Relate to orientation of riderRelate to orientation of rider
• Relate to location on the rideRelate to location on the ride
• Give students opportunity to scour over data, Give students opportunity to scour over data, too!too!
• Smooth the data for easier analysisSmooth the data for easier analysis
Have a great time Have a great time at Great America!at Great America!