I took my kids to The Rockton World Fair on the weekend. As a science teacher in training I am always looking for potential "teachable moments" in real world experiences. This time it took the form of "The Gravitron". The Gravitron works based on centrifugal force, apparently 4 G's of it! The ride reaches 24 rpm in less than 20 seconds and the panels that riders stand against rise upwards leaving them stuck to the wall with their feet off the ground. Experienced riders do tricks like moving upside down or vertically sideways as the ride gains speed. Similar forces are used in training exercises for NASA astronauts. After my kids got off the ride we had a great discussion about how it was possible for them to hang in the air, how some people were able to stick out sideways without falling and why they could not move themselves around once they were at top speed. This led to a discussion about the earth's rotation on it's axis and gravity. I will definitely ask my science students if they have been to the fair around this time of the year and if they rode The Gravitron I will get them to tell me how it works.
