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The Physics Of Knoebels Amusement Resort

ELYSBURG — A part of Knoebels Amusement Resort in Northumberland County was turned into a classroom Tuesday. The amusement park  is a place to cool off an...

ELYSBURG -- A part of Knoebels Amusement Resort in Northumberland County was turned into a classroom Tuesday.

The amusement park  is a place to cool off and have fun, but on this day it was serious business for professor Mike Gallis of Penn State Schuylkill as he read measurements from an electronic device.

"That's 20 meters per second squared, so what is it? About 2 Gs," Gallis said.

Professor Gallis teaches physics at Penn State. 'He was at the park with a group of high school students. Kyle McGarry put on a specially-designed vest to measure various forces at work on the rides.

"My first thought is I hope people don't think this is a bomb. But I guess I am getting good data that Professor Gallis can figure out," McGarry said.

The first ride was the Tilt-a-Whirl where the students, including Laura Dallago, used various devices to take measurements.

"Usually in school ,we just learn the math and we don't know how to apply it in real life and that`s what we're doing here," Dallago explained.

Nichole Lloyd said the lesson has opened her eyes.

"When you come to an amusement park, you don 't realize how it relates to physics, so it's cool to get a look at things and how it relates to physics and stuff," Lloyd said.

Amanda Boyer said she likes the idea of using the rides as physics experiments.

"I always liked physics. It`s a good opportunity to learn a little more and prepare myself for college," Boyer said.

The students said no matter what career they decide on, they'll always remember their classroom experience at Knoebels.

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